Stand In The Sun With Me Liv
by shondalandfan
Summary: What if Olivia said yes to Jake? What if Olivia dared to be normal? Will Olivia and Jake finally be able to let the sun shine on their faces or will the sun fade into darkness as their past comes back haunt them? All characters belong to the incredible Shonda Rhimes. ENJOY
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I have been Team Jake since day one. And this story was inspired by the Season 5 finale, when Jake asks Olivia to live a normal life with him. I so desperately wanted her to say yes, so this that is where this story begins. I would love for you all to review and let me know your thoughts on this story or the show in general. Even if you don't ship Team Jake I hope you still enjoy the story. I have a very clear vision for this story so hopefully updates will occur regularly. ENJOY!**

Olivia stared at Jake blankly as she processed what he had just said. He was out. She had gotten him out, but now he wanted normal… with her. This wasn't the plan. Olivia wasn't supposed to give up everything to live in an unimpressive house by some unimpressive high school so Jake could coach an equally unimpressive JV baseball team. Yet, somewhere deep down she wanted that life. Olivia wanted to say yes. She wanted to stand in the sun with Jake. Live a normal life and be happy.

"Jake… we can't." Olivia responded after what seemed like hours.

"Why not?" Jake protested.

"How can we? I'm running a presidential campaign. You are our pick for Vice President. You can't quit. I can't… I won't quit." Olivia replied standing her ground.

"You can! Stand in the sun with me. Be normal." Jake pleaded. "No more running."

Olivia thought long and hard about what Jake was asking. Time and time again Jake had asked her to save him to stand in the sun with him. And all this time Olivia thought that it was for Jake that he was weak and that he needed her. Olivia always believed that Jake was trying to use her as an escape, but in this moment she realized how wrong she was. Jake was offering her an out. Jake was offering her a normal life and he was willing to stand by her side every day until his last breath. Jake was saving Olivia from a life full of darkness, lies, betrayal, and greed. All Jake was asking was for Olivia to allow him to save her.

"Yes." Olivia replied quietly.

"What?" Jake asked in complete astonishment.

"Yes. I want to stand in the sun with you. I want to be normal. But…" Olivia continued.

"But what?" Jake questioned as he sprang out of his chair to stand in front of Liv.

"We already announced you as VP; we don't have a backup candidate." Liv explained.

"That's ok. Tonight I go out there and in the next couple of days we find Mellie a new VP and a new campaign manager so that we both can walk away." Jake proposed. Olivia nodded, she liked the idea and she already had a few potential VPs in mind.

"Ok. But you really do have to put that tie on. The President is about to announce you." Olivia said looking up at Jake unable to keep the smile off her face. Jake tied his tie without breaking eye contact with Liv. Nothing could stop him from smiling tonight. Olivia straightened out his tie before helping Jake into his suit jacket.

"Ready?" Olivia asked giving Jake a once over, admiring how well he wore a suit.

"I've been ready a long time." Jake replied not talking about the nomination.

"I know." Olivia acknowledged, looking up into Jake's green eyes.

"I love you Olivia Pope." Jake commented as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Olivia's lips.

"I love you too Captain Ballard." Olivia whispered against Jake's lips before the two walked out backstage.

As soon as the President announced Mellie and Jake, Olivia's mind began racing as she thought about everything that had to happen so that she and Jake could have their Happily Ever After. First, she would have to break the news to Mellie that she was going to need a new VP pick and a new campaign manager, although Olivia already had ideas for both. Next, Jake would have to get a divorce considering she refused to be in a complicated love triangle again. Lastly, she would have to tell her father because regardless of the consequences it was time for Olivia to stand up to her father and take her happiness back. Olivia promised herself that she wouldn't allow her team or Jake to be harmed in the process.

After so many wrong choices Olivia had finally made the right choice. She chose Jake, the man who pushed her to be better, to want better. The one who allowed her to show just how vulnerable and insecure she really was. The man that was always there for her time and time again no matter what she put him through. She was choosing the man who saved her life…twice, the man who put her happiness and well-being above all else. Olivia was choosing love. And for once in her life Olivia was not going to let anyone take this from her.

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter was kind of short, just wanted to set the stage for this story. Let me know what you thought in a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing the last chapter. I'm so excited for this story and the direction I'm going to take it. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as well and let me know your thoughts by leaving a review!**

Olivia woke up the next morning ready to take on the world, which was pretty much her agenda for the day considering all of the planning she had to execute so that she and Jake could walk away without ruining their candidate or endangering the lives of those closest to them.

When Olivia arrived at OPA everyone was waiting in the conference room: Jake, Huck, Quinn, Marcus, and Abby. Abby was there because Olivia didn't want to leave her best friend in the dark and also because she wanted the White House to have an idea of what was going on because Mellie was their candidate as well. However, Olivia made Abby promise that nothing would be said to anyone in the White House without her approval.

"OK everyone. Jake is no longer Mellie's Vice President." Olivia announced pointing at Jake.

"What?" Marcus questioned.

"But last night we announced to the world that he was." Quinn protested.

"Also I will no longer be running Mellie's campaign. So she needs a new campaign manager." Olivia continued.

"What the hell is going on Liv?" Abby questioned, as everyone stared at Liv waiting for some type of explanation.

Huck stood there quietly taking in the information as he slowly began to piece things together.

"For VP I was thinking Henry Mathews, Republican Senator from Indiana. He is a decorated war hero, married his high school sweetheart and has two adorable daughters." Olivia continued, ignoring their questions.

"He meets the three M's: Married, Male, and Military." Quinn pointed out, posting a picture of the new potential VP on the board.

"I want him vetted by the end of the day." Olivia ordered. "Abby."

"Yes." Abby asked her folder glued to her chest.

"Do you think Leo is available to run Mellie's campaign?" Olivia asked. If it wasn't going to be her Leo was the next best thing and Olivia knew that he could handle it.

"I will have to ask. He is currently in Texas, but I assume running a presidential campaign would spark his interest." Abby answered.

"Good." Olivia replied.

"No not good. What the hell is going on?" Quinn interjected, hands on her hips.

"I'm winning. I am done playing games with my father. I am done losing. I am going to win this time." Liv ranted pointing a finger at each gladiator as she talked. "I am choosing happiness. I will not let my father take that from me. Let's get to work people. Jake with me." Olivia finished before storming off towards her office with Jake on her heels. Olivia made sure that Jake closed the door before she continued talking.

"What is she talking about?" Quinn asked out loud with everyone else still in the conference.

"Leave it alone Quinn." Huck warned before disappearing off to his office. Everyone else soon filed out of the conference room to get to work.

"The minute we announce you are no longer Mellie's VP my father comes after all of us." Olivia said pacing around her office. "Jake, you have to end it with Vanessa. Don't let her be a pawn in my father's game any longer. If Vanessa isn't attached to you then she means nothing to my father." Jake nodded. "And be careful out there Jake." Liv added, knowing Jake was stepping into a dangerous world.

"It's gonna be ok Liv." Jake soothed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Don't touch me right now Jake. I need to be focused and I can't do that with you so close to me." Liv said backing away.

"Fine." Jake surrendered, putting his hands up. "I will be back as soon as I can." And with that Jake walked out of Liv's office.

Olivia held her breath as Jake exited and was soon lost in thought. She was nervous about sending Jake out, considering she had just gotten him back. Olivia knew the cost of failure and that scared her more than anything. Jake was the one person in her life she couldn't lose.

Olivia was pulled from her thoughts by Huck knocking on the door.

"Huck." Olivia said taking a deep breath to refocus herself.

"Are you sure about this Liv?" Huck asked quietly.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life. This is what I want. Jake is who I want." Olivia replied taking a seat at her desk.

"Your father." Huck said changing the subject.

"What about him?" Olivia questioned irritated, the mere mention of her father made her annoyed.

"He's still powerful." Huck replied.

"It's game over Huck. I'm out. Jake is out. Vanessa will be out of the picture. What my father now chooses to do is his business." Olivia defended.

"Just be careful Liv, your father lose." Huck added as if Liv didn't already know this.

"I will handle my father. Where are we with Henry?" Olivia asked.

"Marcus is going through information from the Indiana race to see if he is hiding any skeletons in his closet. He looks clean, he's a good choice. Quinn is polling him and Abby said Leo would be interested in the job, he is flying out tonight and will be here in the morning." Huck informed her.

"Good. Let me know when we have the polling results and let Abby know I want Leo here as soon as he lands." Liv ordered.

"Liv?" Huck questioned.

"What?" Liv replied a little more harshly than she intended.

"What are you going to do about Mellie?" Huck asked.

"I'm going to be honest with her. If there is one thing I know about Mellie it is that she wants to win this election more than anything, it doesn't matter who is on her team as long as she wins. And Leo can get her to the Oval. She may lecture me about the optics and the whole VP fiasco, but in the end she will see that the White House is still in reach and that's what matters most." Olivia replied. Huck nodded knowing that Olivia was right. And then he left to check on Quinn's progress.

A couple hours later everyone was in the conference room to discuss what had been learned during the day. Jake had returned slightly shaken, but otherwise he seemed fine.

"Marcus." Olivia said waiting to hear what he had discovered about Senator Mathews.

"He's clean Liv. Everyone loves him." Marcus reported.

"Marcus is right." Quinn added. "He polls well with everyone: men, women, and minorities. Democrats respect him and Republicans love him. He's perfect, better than Jake no offense."

"None taken." Jake said with a smile.

"Good work people." Olivia complimented, pleased with the work her team had done. There was still more to be done, but this was a good start. "Leo will be here tomorrow morning, and then we break the news to Mellie. And we will see if Senator Mathews wants to be the next Vice President of the United States. It's going to be a long day, so go home and get some sleep." Olivia added dismissing her team for the day. Everyone dispersed from the conference room to collect their belongings and head home.

Olivia remained in the conference room staring at the board taking it all in. Jake stood by her side in silence.

"You ok Liv?" Jake asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to make sure he is the right one because if he isn't and Mellie doesn't win she won't forgive me and I won't be able to forgive myself for leaving her." Olivia replied. "But Mathews is looking like a perfect choice." Olivia added as she stood up and headed to her office to get her coat and her purse.

"As perfect as me?" Jake teased as he followed Olivia.

"You have always thought so highly of yourself." Olivia replied jokingly.

"Ouch." Jake said pretending to be offended. "You ready?"

Olivia nodded as she intertwined her arm with Jake's and headed for the elevator. "You're prefect to me Jake." Olivia said as they took the sort ride down to the garage.

"And you are the most beautiful, intelligent, talented women I have ever met." Jake complimented leaning down to place a gentle kiss on the top of Liv's head.

The minute the two of them stepped off the elevator Olivia felt Jake stiffen. As the two walked towards Liv's car Olivia began to feel uneasy and she felt his presence before she saw him.

"Liv." Jake whispered warningly as they turned the corner.

"I know." She replied softly giving his arms a tight squeeze, as she looked up she saw her father sitting on the bumper of her car, with a disapproving look on his face. Olivia and Jake continued to walk towards him but stopped a good 15 feet short. Olivia took a small step in front of Jake, shielding him slightly.

"What have you done?" Rowan demanded.

"What I had too." Olivia shot back.

"Need I remind you of my warning?" Rowan asked in his condescending tone.

"No." Olivia replied. "Jake is mine. I will not allow you to hurt him."

"You see Olivia. You have gotten yourself into a messy situation. First, you marched into my house and took Jake. Fine. Then you put him on your ticket. Great. Jake was always meant for greatness. But now you want to take him off the ticket, and what, run away to play house together? I don't think so. You will not take this opportunity of greatness away from my son!" Rowan roared with typical enthusiasm.

"No! Jake doesn't want greatness. He never has and he never will. Why can't you let him be happy?" Olivia retaliated. "Just let him go Dad because I won't let you take him back."

"Listen carefully Olivia." Rowan started as he got dangerous close to her. Instinctively Olivia reached a hand behind her and gripped Jake's arm tightly. Jake placed his other hand on Liv's shoulder assuring her that he was there. "There are no outs. Not for you. And not for Jake. And remember one thing dear, I always win." Rowan finished, as he reached up and cupped Liv's quivering face with one hand. Without another word Rowan walked away, leaving Olivia trembling.

As soon as Rowan disappeared from sight Olivia turned around and threw herself into Jake's arms slowly letting the tears come out. Olivia was angry, frustrated and terrified. In the past Olivia would have conceded to her father and let him win, as she didn't want to risk losing the people she cared about most, but this was different. Olivia was going to hold her ground and fight with every weapon in her arsenal for what she wanted. All Olivia wanted was for her and Jake to escape her father's shadow and be able to stand in the sun.

Jake wrapped his arms around Liv tightly providing her the comfort and support she needed. Jake knew Olivia was trying so hard to set the two of them free, but he often wondered if it would ever happen. He had been trying to shake Command for twenty years and somehow every time he ended up right back on his door step. However, this time Jake thought it would be different. He had Liv on his team and if anyone could escape Command it would be the two of them; combining their skills to find a way out.

Olivia let out a deep sigh as she walked up to her apartment door.

"What is it Liv?" Jake asked.

"I just have a lot on my mind, with Mellie, the election, you and now my father." Olivia replied as she opened to door, turned on the light, and set her bag on the table by the door before taking off her coat.

"Me?" Jake wondered.

"Yes you. I don't want to lose you again. I constantly think about how to keep you safe and protected." Olivia admitted, as she kicked off her heels and head for the kitchen.

"It's nice that you worry about me, but I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." Jake replied as he opened the fridge and pulled out a beer.

"But that won't stop me from worrying and there is just so much going on." Olivia said as she put a bag of popcorn into the microwave.

Jake walked over to Liv and took her hands in his. "It's gonna be ok. We are going to figure it all out. Just think about that house we are going to live in and how I am going to come home every night and cook you a real dinner. And the three kids we are going to have playing in the backyard."

"What about the wedding?" Olivia smiled, as Jake painted a beautiful picture of their family in her mind.

Jake let out a small laugh. "We can't skip the wedding. It will be the happiest day of my life watching you, the mother of my future children, walk down the aisle to me." Jake then leaned down and kissed Olivia deeply, bringing her in closer to him. The two were interrupted by the beeping of the microwave.

"We don't want burnt popcorn." Liv whispered pulling away from Jake slowly. Jake took his bottle of beer and Olivia's wine glass into the living room while she poured the popcorn into a bowl. As Olivia prepared the popcorn she was in awe of how Jake always seemed to ease her mind and completely changed her mood in a matter of minutes. Now Olivia couldn't stop thinking about her future with Jake.

"Three kids you say." Olivia said as she placed the popcorn on the coffee table and took a seat next to Jake, who was watching an old comedy.

"Yeah. I think it is the perfect number. I'm hoping for two boys and a girl or two girls and a boy. But if they are all boys or all girls I will love them just the same."

"I think three kids is perfect, but not now, I'm not ready yet." Olivia replied.

"I'm not ready either. We are still figuring things out between us. But, someday down the road I would like us to expand our family." Jake explained.

"I would like that too." Olivia agreed as she snuggled close to Jake, feeling the comfort of his arms wrapped around her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. I'm happy that so many of you enjoy this story. I hope this is another good chapter. Let me know what you think by leaving a review.**

 **Guest: I'm not exactly sure how long this story will be, but I see it being a long one. Also, I do think down the road Olivia and Jake will discuss their conversation from 5X18. I don't have any current plans to write a new Olake story, but I have another story with the pairing called Navy Men Do Not Give Up, if you haven't already read it, you could check it out. However, I am in a bit of a writer's block for that story.**

Liv was relieved the next morning when Leo agreed to take on Mellie's campaign. Now all she had to do was break the news to Mellie.

Liv paced around her office waiting for Mellie to arrive. Olivia was a little nervous about what Mellie's reaction would be, but she knew that in the end Mellie would see that this was for the best. And although Olivia was going to miss the demanding schedule and organized chaos that came with running a campaign her reasons for walking away were worth it. Jake was worth it. Her happiness was worth it.

"Liv, you wanted to see me." Mellie said cheerfully as she walked into Olivia's office.

"Yes, please take a seat." Olivia offered as Mellie took a seat on the sofa as Liv took a seat in the armchair across from her.

"If this is about the packed schedule for Kentucky on Friday; I had some ideas for moving a few things around, to ensure optimal efficiency." Mellie began eagerly.

"This isn't about Kentucky." Olivia said flatly.

"Then what?" Mellie asked a hint of concern in her voice. If her campaign manager didn't want to talk about the upcoming campaign stop, then what did she want to talk about?

"Jake will not be perusing the Vice Presidency and I can no longer be your campaign manager." Olivia stated bluntly.

"What the hell Liv? How I'm I suppose to tell the American people that the man I placed on my ticket is no longer interested. I didn't like the idea of him on the ticket in the first place, but I went with it because you thought it was and now he backs out…great." Mellie said throwing her hands up in the air. "And I listened to you Olivia, I did everything you asked of me and now you're just abandoning me."

"I know what I said Mellie, but I have a plan for your new Vice President and campaign manager. There is a way to spin this." Olivia assured her.

"Let's hear your marvelous plan." Mellie replied with a strong hint of annoyance.

"For VP I was thinking Senator Henry Mathews from Indiana. He meets the criteria to be your running mate and he polls well with everyone. He is exactly who you need on your ticket. With your OK my team will contact him today and see if he is interested in the position." Olivia explained.

"This might just work." Mellie commented as she thought it over. "And your replacement?"

"Leo Burgan. If it's not going to be me running your campaign it should be him. He knows how to get the job done and he has already accepted the job pending your approval of course." Olivia responded.

"If you think Mathews and Burgan are my best options than I trust you." Mellie replied knowing that Olivia had given her two great people to fill the biggest vacancies on the campaign. "And how should we announce all of this?

"I think we should do a big press conference with you, Jake, and Senator Mathews to announce the change in VP. Jake will say it was an honor to be selected, but that he is now withdrawing due to a personal family matter, which he wishes to remain private. You will then graciously accept his withdraw before announcing Senator Mathews as your running mate. We will leak to The Post that you have a new campaign manager and that I have decided to step down due to our friendship. I want to stand by you as a friend during the election and I realized as your campaign manager I cannot do that, so I have chosen to step down before the general election." Olivia explained.

"I don't know how you managed to spin this Liv. You really are the best. Are you sure you want to leave the campaign?" Mellie asked.

"Yes, but if you ever need anything you can come to me. I meant what I said about being your friend." Olivia said.

"Well, then I better go talk with Leo and let me know what Mathews says." Mellie said as she got up. "Thanks for all your hard work."

"It was a pleasure working for you Mellie. And I'm sorry I have to leave before the end, but I know you will make an excellent president." Olivia admitted as she gave Mellie a hug before ushering her out the door.

Olivia closed the door to her office, took a seat at her desk and rested her head in her hands, letting out a deep sigh.

Talking everything through with Mellie had gone a lot better than expected. Olivia was happy to see her plan slowly taking form; however, Olivia also knew that there was still plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong.

"Olivia." A shaky voice said, pulling Olivia from her thoughts.

"Jake." Olivia said looking up. "Why are you covered in blood? What happened?" Olivia questioned as she noticed the large blood stains on his grey t-shirt and olive green jacket. Olivia rushed over to Jake examining him from head to toe, trying to figure out where the blood had come from.

"It's not mine." Jake assured her. "It's Vanessa's, she's dead."

"What?" Olivia asked, as an expression of pure shock appeared on her face. "Who? How?" Olivia continued, as she tried to process this sudden event. Olivia already had a gut feeling that her father was behind this.

"I don't know for sure, but I can venture a pretty good guess it was Rowan." Jake replied as he began taking off his blood stained clothes, changing into a spare shirt that Olivia kept in her office. "She called me, but she didn't say anything when I picked up. Instead I just heard shallow breathing and after a few seconds she called my name faintly and said 'help'. At that point I knew she was in trouble so I rushed over to her place and called 9-1-1. I got there before the paramedics and tried to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. I'm the reason Vanessa is dead." Jake explained, feeling guilty.

"This isn't your fault Jake. And my father will pay for this." Olivia assured him, her blood boiling. How could her father be so evil that he used an innocent woman for her wealth and then when she was no longer of use to him he had her killed?

"It is my fault. I got her into this mess and now she is dead. I should have never gotten involved with her." Jake commented. "And that's not even the worst part."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked confused, as she took a seat next to Jake on the sofa.

"The worst part is she loved me. I was the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with, but I never loved her. I was in love with you." Jake muttered softly.

"Don't blame me for your inability to satisfy your wife." Olivia shot back angrily.

"I'm not. I'm just saying Vanessa didn't ask for any of this. She thought I was a good guy, well I'm not and now she's dead." Jake defended.

"You're not a bad guy Jake." Olivia replied softly as she now felt bad for snapping at him. Olivia knew that Jake blamed himself and that Vanessa's death was hard on him. "Have you done some bad things? Yes, but that doesn't make you a bad guy. Your heart is always in the right place. You are always trying to do things the right way Jake. It's one of the many traits I admire about you. You're a good guy that has been thrown into some rough situations."

"Your father will not get away with this." Jake commented revengeful, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. "I will not let him get away with this." Jake added as he stood up.

"Sit down Jake." Olivia ordered, grabbing on to one of his arms, using it to pull herself up. "You are not going anywhere. My father will kill you. Let me handle this."

"This isn't your problem to fix." Jake countered, looking down at Olivia.

"Actually it is, because your problems are my problems and he is my father. Let me help you Jake." Olivia pleaded.

"Fine." Jake caved knowing that the one weapon Olivia had that he didn't when facing Rowan was DNA. Rowan couldn't bring himself to kill his own daughter, despite the fact that she was always intervening in his plans.

"Thank you Jake." Olivia replied. She was relieved that Jake was allowing her to help.

*** That night***

Olivia had sent everyone home for the night, including Jake; she needed some alone time. Olivia sat on the couch in her office, a glass of red wine in one hand as she looked out at the DC night, allowing her thoughts to wonder.

So far everything was going well with Mellie's campaign; Leo had been welcomed as the new campaign manager and Senator Henry Mathews was both honored and delighted to become Mellie's new running mate, and tomorrow the press conference would take place. At least now when Jake said he was going to be stepping down due to a personal matter he was telling the truth; his wife was just killed.

Olivia finished her glass of wine, knowing that there was something else she had to do before going home. Her father needed to be put in his place and Olivia had to be the one to do it. Olivia cleaned her wine glass, and returned it to the cabinet before grabbing her coat and purse.

It was around 9pm when Olivia knocked on her father's door. As she waited for him to answer Olivia could feel her heart pounding and the palm of her hands begin to sweat. Not many things made Olivia nervous or scared, but her father did.

"Olivia, it's late. What are you doing here?" her father asked opening the door.

How could you?" Olivia yelled.

"Why don't you come inside?" Rowan started as he opened the door wider for Olivia.

Olivia didn't want to go in and talk to her father, but her father never asked questions, it was more of an order and Olivia knew better than to disobey.

"You better watch the tone in which you speak to me young lady." Rowan whispered in a threatening tone as Olivia walked past him into the house.

"Now what is it you think I have done?" Rowan asked innocently.

"Murder an innocent woman." Olivia replied angrily. She was annoyed that her father was playing dumb.

"O that." Rowan commented nonchalantly, handing Olivia a glass of water.

"O that." Olivia repeated in disbelief. "You are a monster. She was Jake's wife. You were using her for political capital. And now that she is no longer useful to you; you killed her." Olivia said, stating the obvious.

"Jake wasn't a real husband and now Jake has more political capital than he could have ever dreamed of." Rowan pointed out.

"He doesn't want this dad." Olivia shouted, slamming the glass on the counter. "Can't you just let him go, find another puppet?"

"You know the rules. Jake is one of my best, I can't let him walk away from greatness." Rowan replied enthusiastically.

"I love him." Olivia admitted softly.

Rowan was stunned into silence. For once Olivia had chosen a man he approved of. Jake was the type of man he expected for his daughter; unlike Fitz or Edison who were intimidated by Olivia's power, authority and self-confidence. Rowan knew that Jake was capable of meeting Olivia's needs and that he was a worthy suitor for his daughter.

"What will you give me in return?" her father asked, willing to negotiate.

"Sunday dinners." Olivia replied

"With you and Jake?" Rowan asked.

"If that is what you want." Olivia agreed.

"You must also promise to stay out of my business." Rowan continued.

"Fine, as long as you stay out of my business as well." Olivia countered blatantly, as she tried to contain her happiness. Sunday dinners were a small sacrifice to make in order to set Jake free once and for all.

Rowan nodded. "Sunday 7 o'clock, I expect to see you and Jake. And I will choose a wine fitting of the occasion." Rowan promised as he led Olivia back to the front door.

"I will see you Sunday." Olivia said, before walking to her car.

"O, and give Jake my condolences." Rowan called after her, before closing the door.

Olivia could not believe the evilness her father possessed, but tonight was a victory, Jake was hers. Now if only Jake would agree to Sunday dinners, Olivia would consider the day a success.

"Your back." Jake greeted as he met Olivia at the door, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "What took you so long to come home?" Jake asked as he followed Olivia into the kitchen as she grabbed her wine glass. "Talk to me Liv." Jake insisted following Olivia's silence.

Olivia poured herself a healthy glass of wine and took a sip before speaking. "My father killed Vanessa and he doesn't have the slightest bit of remorse." Olivia confirmed, her words trembling. "But," Olivia continued, "he promised to let you go, if we agree to Sunday dinners and stay out of his business. My father gave us an out."

Jake was quiet for a long time as he processed all of the information. "If Sunday dinners are the cost of my freedom then so be it." Olivia smiled, although she was a surprised with how easily Jake agreed. "What about Vanessa?" Jake asked.

"I don't know what we can do." Olivia replied sadly.

"I don't want her inheritance. Her money should go back to her family. She'd want a memorial service, closed casket, only close friends and family, no press." Jake said.

"OK." Olivia agreed, placing a hand over Jake's and giving it a light squeeze. "I know you and Vanessa weren't exactly… but I didn't want her killed. I'm sorry for your loss Jake, I truly am."

"I know Liv." Jake said shortly. Olivia could tell she wasn't going to get a lot of words out of him at this point. "I'm going to go shower and get ready for bed, it's been a rough day and I have the press conference tomorrow morning."

"Ok. I will be in a little later. I have some work I need to get done before I call it a night." Olivia stated, giving Jake a quick kiss before he walked towards the bathroom.

Olivia was able to work for about an hour before her thoughts began to wonder and she found herself reading the same sentence five times, but still not comprehending it. Olivia let out a sigh before shutting down her laptop for the night, it was clear her mind was elsewhere and she wasn't going to be able to get anything else done. Olivia organized the papers she had been shuffling through, and brought her popcorn bowl and wine glass back to the kitchen before heading to bed.

Olivia wasn't surprised to see Jake fast asleep when she walked into the bedroom. She watched him sleep from the doorway for a few minutes; this was the most relaxed she had seen him in a few days. Olivia was relieved that Jake had been able to fall asleep, knowing that sleep was the best thing for him at the moment. Liv changed into her pajamas quickly and brushed her teeth before sliding into bed next to Jake. Olivia nestled in close to Jake, and rested her head on his shoulders before drifting off to sleep.

Jake and Liv had battled so hard to get to this point, but the main fight had just begun. Olivia knew that she and Jake and loved to hard and lost to much to give up now, it was going to be a long road, but together she and Jake would get there, one day at a time.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story! Your reviews are awesome as it allows me to see how many of you enjoy this story. Your reviews are also motivational and make me want to update faster so thank you! WARNING: This chapter contains SMUT! Read at your own discretion!**

Olivia woke up at 5:30 am, an hour before her alarm clock was set to go off. Olivia hadn't slept well the night before as she thought about Mellie's campaign, Vanessa's death, Jake's well-being, and her father. There was so much happening in Olivia's life she didn't know which thing needed her attention the most. Olivia had successfully made the necessary changes to Mellie's campaign and after the press conference later that morning the only thing she had to for Mellie was cheer her on as she continued to push towards the Oval. On to Vanessa, nothing was going to bring her back from the dead, but Olivia knew she could start planning the memorial. As for Jake, he was a big boy and could handle himself however, Olivia still worried about him. Olivia just had to believe that Jake would talk to her when he was ready. In regards to her father, Olivia had no idea what to think; as much as she wanted to figure out and put a stop to whatever her dad was scheming, getting involved with her father had never gotten her anywhere. Every time Olivia tried to stop him, he won; he always won and for now Olivia was going to stop trying to win.

After spending a half hour lying in bed mulling over her many thoughts and eventually ending up back where she started; having no idea what her priority should be, Olivia decided to get up and get for her day. If there was one thing Olivia knew she had to do, it was to be at Mellie's press conference at 11am with Jake.

Olivia chose to let Jake sleep until he needed to get up, so she turned off the alarm clock and headed to the kitchen. Olivia started a pot of coffee, and put a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster before picking up the morning paper and taking a seat at the table.

It didn't take Olivia long to spot the headline: _Newly-wed Vanessa Ballard Dies in Bizarre_ _Burglary Stabbing_. Olivia skimmed the article, although she has already fully aware of what occurred.

"Anything good?" Jake yawned, making his presence known.

"Same old, same old." Olivia replied, flipping back to the front page. "There's an article about Vanessa in here." Olivia added.

"And?" Jake asked, as he poured two cups of coffee, bringing one to Olivia and taking a seat beside her.

"They called it a 'Bizarre Burglary Stabbing'." Olivia answered.

"Hmm…" Jake responded as he sipped his coffee.

"How are you doing?" Olivia questioned softly, her voice full of concern.

"I'm going to get in the shower." Jake stated, getting up from the table.

"Jake." Olivia protested weakly, as he avoided her question.

"Just leave it alone Liv. I'm fine." Jake replied before walking off towards the bathroom.

Olivia didn't say anything; she turned her attention back to the morning paper and her cup of coffee. Clearly, Jake needed a little more time to deal with his emotions and accept his loss.

Olivia knew that Jake had never truly loved Vanessa and their entire relationship had been built on a lie, but Olivia never wanted Vanessa killed, especially for all of the unknown sacrifices she had for Jake and her father. Olivia just hated seeing the effect that Vanessa's death was having on Jake, he seemed to shut down internally.

Olivia got up to retrieve the toast she had made, spreading strawberry jam on each piece of bread before returning to the table and picking the newspaper up again. Olivia flipped through the pages as she gazed over what else was happening in Washington D.C. Olivia was so distracted by the article on Vanessa she had skipped over the story on Mellie's new campaign manager. Olivia smiled as she finished reading the article; a few political insiders had comment positively on Pope's decision to bow out now, quoting that it was admirable for Olivia to put her friendship with Mellie ahead of their professional relationship.

Olivia finished the article pleased with her handiwork and proceeded to her bedroom to get ready for the day, hoping that Jake had finished his shower.

Olivia and Jake got ready and headed down to OPA for a little while before going over to press conference. With Jake's help Olivia and her team began planning Vanessa's memorial service.

"It's going to be a beautiful service Jake." Olivia commented as she and Jake sat alone in the conference room.

"I know. I saw how you planned Harrison's." Jake replied softly, knowing that Olivia was planning the perfect memorial for Vanessa. "Are you ready to go?" Jake asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes." Olivia replied, as she got up to retrieve her purse and coat. "Quinn, Huck, Jake and I are heading out now; we should be back in about an hour or so." Olivia called out as she and Jake walked through the office towards the elevator.

Mellie's press conference went perfectly. The crowd was sentimental towards Jake and completely supported his decision to step down during the difficult time. It also helped that Jake was very emotional when speaking about Vanessa, which really hit close to home with the reporters and others in the audience. Senator Mathews and Mellie both carried out their roles flawlessly and it seemed that Olivia could make another mark in the win column.

Olivia told Mellie that she would monitor the news outlets over the next 72 hours to see how this news was handled, but Olivia was confident that nothing but positive press would come from this announcement as many mourned for Jake's loss and were impressed with Mellie's new running mate.

Later that evening Olivia sat her office wrapping up a few things as she prepared to go home. A lot had been done during the day and she felt good about where things were going. Olivia had sent Jake home a couple of hours ago, so that he could relax.

***SUNDAY EVENING***

"Jake, are you ready?" Olivia asked impatiently as she paced in the living room. Olivia didn't want to be late to dinner with her father.

"Yes, I'm ready. But really Liv you need to relax. Your dad asked us to be there at 7, its 6, and it only takes 15 minutes to drive there. Maybe 25 minutes if there is traffic." Jake could see that this evening was stressing Olivia out; it had been since she told him that Rowan expected to see the two of them for dinner every Sunday.

"I know how long it takes to get there." Olivia snapped back.

"Hey, Liv, relax." Jake soothed as he walked over to Liv and placed both hands on her arms to stop her from pacing. "Everything is going to be ok; we are just going to dinner with your father. Take a deep breath."

"I just get anxious around him." Olivia said letting out a sigh.

"I know. Come here." Jake commented as he pulled Olivia into a hug, instantly feeling her body relax in his arms.

Olivia and Jake arrived on Rowan's doorstep 10 minutes early. Olivia knocked confidently before reaching for Jake's hand.

"I have been waiting your arrival." Rowan greeted them. "Olivia, how are you?" Rowan asked, giving his daughter a warm embrace.

"Busy, but good." Olivia replied.

"And how about you Jake?" Rowan asked extending his hand out. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'm hanging in there, thank you. And how are you?" Jake questioned as he followed Olivia and Rowan into the kitchen.

"The Smithsonian keeps me very busy these days. They want to add a digital exhibit, to make it more interactive. I don't know about all that high-tech stuff, but we shall see." Rowan explained. "Dinner is just about ready; I think the chicken just needs a few more minutes. Jake would you be as kind as to fetch us the Pinot Noir, from the wine cooler, it is the lone bottle on the top self." Jake nodded before heading off to get the bottle on wine.

"So how are things going, I saw Mellie's press conference, pure brilliance. And the way Jake addressed Vanessa, it was very moving." Rowan replied.

"It was." Olivia agreed through gritted teeth, wishing her father would refrain from speaking Vanessa's name. Olivia didn't want to see any conflict between her father and Jake at this dinner.

"And how are things between you and Jake?" Rowan continued to question.

"We're good." Olivia responded, not wanting to elaborate on her relationship. Jake returning with the evening's wine saved Olivia from answering any more of her father's questions as she quickly made herself useful by retrieving three wine glasses.

Olivia was surprised with how well dinner had gone; besides a few tense moments when Vanessa was mentioned everything had gone smoothly and Jake was right, Olivia had nothing to worry about. Although the dinner was going better than she expected, Olivia couldn't wait to leave her father's presence. After everything he had done, the crimes he had committed, the people he had killed and the lives he had ruined Olivia couldn't stand to spend extended periods of time with her father.

Olivia passed the time by listening to the conversations that Jake and her father had, finding it strange how well Jake got along with Rowan despite everything he did to ruin Jake's life. But, that was just the type of guy that Jake was, he rarely held grudges and he learned how to move on.

Throughout the night Olivia kept her eye on Jake to ensure she would catch any signs of an explosion before it was too late. When it became apparent that Jake wasn't going to start anything, Olivia couldn't help but continue to watch him, she kept stealing glances of him. Olivia loved to light stubble that Jake was growing; it made him look poised and defined his jaw line, bringing out the features of his face. Olivia also admired how Jake's charcoal grey button-up pulled tightly at his muscles, this made Olivia lick her lips ever so slightly.

Olivia was relieved when she and Jake were finally able to leave. One dinner was successfully completed, and no lives were threatened. Rowan wished Olivia and Jake a goodnight following the promise of meeting again next Sunday at the same time.

"That went well." Olivia stated as she got in the car.

"Yeah, it did." Jake agreed as they go onto the freeway. "Can I help you with something?" Jake asked as this was the fourth or fifth time he had caught Olivia looking at him during the car ride, not to mention the few times he had seen her staring at dinner.

"I'm sure you could help me with a lot of things." Liv said seductively as she placed a hand lightly on Jake's thigh. Jake didn't respond, but he could feel the effect Liv's touch was having on him. Jake tried to keep his eyes on the road, while watching Olivia.

Olivia kept her hand resting on the middle of Jake's thigh for a few minutes before she slowly moved it up higher. "Fuck." Jake cursed under his breath hitting the breaks. Why was he now sitting in bumper to bumper traffic? Jake was trying to keep calm, but Olivia was beginning to push the right buttons.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked innocently as she moved her hand up to his groin. Olivia had barely done anything and Jake could already feel himself getting hard.

"I have no idea why we are in traffic and I have you over here distracting me." Jake replied.

"You don't like my distraction?" Olivia questioned flirtatiously as she reached over a little and began palming Jake's member. Jake let out a deep moan. "Because that reaction tells me otherwise." Jake let out a slow breath as he kept his eyes on the road.

Olivia seemed to be inspired by traffic speeding up, because as traffic picked up the pace so did she, palming Jake harder. "Liv." Jake warned, not knowing how much more he could take, luckily they were almost back to Liv's apartment. Olivia ignored Jake's warning and continued by taking things up a notch. Olivia managed to unbuckle Jake's belt and slip her hand inside. Jake moaned loudly as Olivia's hand made contact with his member.

Jake knew that if he was going to make it back to Liv's without having to pullover and finish what she started than he was going to have to even the playing field. With one swift motion Jake kept one hand on the steering wheel and slipped the other under the hem of Olivia's dress. Olivia let out an audible gasp when she felt Jake's fingers brush up against her panties. "What are you doing Jake?" Olivia breathed as she threw her head back against the headrest.

"Two can play this game." Jake teased, as he felt how wet she was against his fingers.

"If that's the way it's gonna be." Olivia retaliated, as she began stroking Jake's full length. Jake did all he could to contain himself, but Olivia's hand was no match for him. Olivia smirked knowing she had Jake right where she wanted him.

Jake was not going to go down without a fight, as he pulled off the freeway, Jake pushed Olivia's panties aside and slipped one finger inside of her. The moan Olivia let out almost caused Jake to lose it right then and there. Jake took pride in the noises he was consistently able to get from Olivia.

Once Olivia regained her focus, she worked Jake faster and harder, feeling him hardening in her hand by the minute. As Jake pulled into the parking structure of Olivia's apartment he slipped a second finger into her, causing another load moan to escape her lips. Olivia was relieved when Jake made the quick turn into the first vacant parking space.

Jake had barely shut off the care before Olivia was in his lap grinding into his hips and attacking his lips. Jake moved the driver's seat back giving them more room, knowing that neither of them was going to leave the car without be satisfied.

Jake ran his fingers through Olivia hair as he kissed her neck. Olivia quickly worked to unbutton Jake's shirt needing that skin to skin contact. As Olivia worked on Jake's shirt, he unzipped her dress and pulled it up and over Olivia's head, revealing her bare chest. "No bra." Jake moaned, as he messaged one breast and then the other. Olivia just smiled, seeing how much that had turned him on.

When Olivia leaned down to kiss Jake, the contact of their two bare chests sent a shiver down her spine, she was ready. She needed Jake now. "Pants." Olivia ordered in between kisses as they tried to create enough separation between their bodies for Jake to lower his pants.

As Jake freed his member, Olivia could feel herself dripping wet. "I need you Jake." Olivia moaned as she kissed Jake passionately. Jake removed her panties and slowly guided her on top of him. As soon as Olivia had adjusted to him Jake picked the pace up, thrusting into her. Olivia responded by grinding into him, they were both beyond ready to be satisfied.

Jake kissed Olivia's neck as he continued to move in and out of her. Jake could feel himself getting there, but refused to climax until Olivia did. With one more hard thrust Olivia climaxed, letting out a loud moan. Jake was right behind her, feeling the toe-curling pleasure.

Olivia rested her head on Jake's shoulder, allowing herself to come down from her high before moving. Jake wrapped his arms around her, leaving soft kisses on her bare shoulder as he waited for his breathing to return to normal.

"That was absolutely mind-blowing. Wow! That may have been the best sex ever." Olivia commented.

"You started all of this." Jake replied, smiling, happy to have pleased Olivia once again.

"And boy did you end it." Olivia added, laughing.

"Honestly, I didn't know if I was going to make it all the way back here." Jake said with a chuckle. Olivia nodded.

"As amazing as that was, there is a big, comfy bed upstairs with our names on it. I would love to cuddle and watch a movie with you." Olivia responded as she moved over to the passenger seat and got dressed.

"I would love that." Jake stated with a smile as he buttoned his shirt.

"Last one up's a rotten egg." Olivia called as she jumped out of the car and made a bee line for the elevator.

"Hey." Jake yelled after her as he sprinted up the stairs. Olivia and Jake arrived at Liv's door simultaneously.

"Tie." Olivia smiled.

"Tie." Jake confirmed giving her a kiss as they walked into the apartment


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and review the last chapter. There is a two month time jump between the last chapter and this chapter…if it isn't clear. I really do enjoy your feedback and it helps me be a better writer. I hope this chapter is just as enjoyable!**

Guest: Thank you for the constructive criticism, hopefully that is an area I can continue to improve on! Glad you are enjoying the story.

 **2 Months Later**

Olivia was sitting at her desk trying to do some work for her current client, but she couldn't keep her eyes open. She decided to go lie down on the sofa and see if she felt more focused after a quick nap. She hadn't been feeling herself lately, but she figured it was because for the first time in her life she was living a normal life. And maybe she just needed time adjusting to it.

Olivia and Jake had just moved into the unimpressive house that Jake had been eyeing for a while and the two of them had settled into a routine. Olivia and Jake woke up at 5:45 every morning, went on a run, showered, got ready for work, ate breakfast, and then headed out the door. The two of them tried to meet for lunch at least twice a week and for the most part the two had dinner together each night. It felt right, it felt normal.

Mellie had Leo running her campaign she was in a tight race with Vargas, Olivia was confident that Mellie would win. Mellie was meant to be president; she had the drive, the will and the backbone for the job. Not to mention she was intelligent, strong-minded, and dedicated to the job. Olivia had enjoyed watching the campaign from the sidelines, knowing that Mellie was doing well without Olivia running the show. This made Liv feel better about her choice to leave in pursuit of her own happiness.

Olivia kicked off her designer heels before lying on the couch. She didn't understand why she was so tired, minimal sleep had never been a problem for her. Maybe she was coming down with something a little more serious; the flu had been going around the office during the last month. Olivia just hoped she wasn't getting sick; she couldn't afford to miss valuable time in the office.

Olivia closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

"Liv, I think I got something." Quinn said opening the door to Olivia's office. "Are you alright?" Quinn asked as she saw her boss lying on the sofa looking rather pale.

"Hmm. Yes. I'm fine. What is it Quinn?" Liv asked as she sat up slowly feeling a lot worse than when she had first lied down.

"You don't look so well. You sure you're alright?" Quinn questioned.

"You said you found something." Olivia said changing the subject.

"O ya, right." Quinn regrouped looking down at the information she had gathered. "Senator Wilson has an offshore account with a series of large deposits, meaning it's possible he is getting paid for his votes. However, the names on the deposits are all fake, so Huck and I are still trying to figure it out."

"Good work Quinn. Let me..." Olivia started before bolting to the nearest trash can. After emptying the content of her stomach into the small trashcan by her desk she continued. "Let me know if you find out who is buying the Senator's votes."

"Are you sure you aren't coming down with whatever Marcus had last week?" Quinn asked.

"I'll be fine, just keep working and let me know if you find something more conclusive." Liv said faintly as she lied back down.

The next thing Olivia remembered was a cheek pressed against her face. Olivia slowly opened her eyes and realized Jake was standing over her. Quinn had probably called him to tell him that she wasn't feeling well. "You don't have a fever." Jake reported.

"I still feel like crap." Olivia mumbled.

"Let me take you home then." Jake offered.

"No I need to work." Liv protested weakly as she tried to get up, but her legs were too weak to hold her up. Jake caught her before she collapsed on the ground.

"I don't think so." Jake replied as he scooped Olivia up in his arms. This time she didn't protest and she let Jake carry her out of the office. Olivia would never admit it, but she was glad that Jake was there to take her home.

Olivia had fallen back asleep before arriving home, so Jake carried her inside and tucked her in to bed. Jake brought her a bowl and a towel in case she needed to throw up again. Jake also brought Olivia a glass of water with a straw, knowing the least she could do was stay hydrated. After he made sure Olivia was settled in, Jake pulled out his laptop and did some work, checking on Liv every half hour or so.

After a couple hours Olivia wondered into the kitchen.

"Hey. How you feeling?" Jake asked, springing out of his chair to be at Olivia's side.

"Better. A lot better, I think it was just something I ate." Olivia replied as she got a glass of water.

"Well, why don't you just take it easy for the rest of the day and we will see how you feel tomorrow." Jake commented, happy to see Olivia was feeling better.

"You're probably right; I'm still feeling a little weak." Olivia agreed as she took a seat next to Jake.

"Let me just finish up what I'm working on here and then I will start on dinner." Jake informed her.

"Ok." Olivia commented as she got up and headed into the living room to watch the news.

 **The Next Morning**

After arguing with Jake for several minutes Olivia was allowed to go to work. Olivia had felt a little queasy after their morning run and after breakfast she had thrown up the eggs and toast. Oddly enough, Olivia felt fine, but Jake was still concerned. However, in the end she had convinced Jake that it was just a combination of the exercise and eating and being a little weak. She was no longer nauseous, she didn't have a fever, or the chills, or any other sign that she was still sick, so Jake was left no choice but to let Liv go to work although, he thought she should have stayed home one more day.

"Liv, you're here." Quinn said, clearly surprised to see her boss at work.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Olivia retorted.

"You weren't feeling well yesterday." Quinn answered.

"What's your point? I went home, rested, and I'm feeling much better today." Olivia replied

"Weird." Quinn pondered.

"What's weird?" Olivia countered, pausing outside her office door. She was slightly agitated; arguing with Quinn was not how she wanted to start her day.

"Nothing." Quinn commented as turned her attention back to her computer. Quinn may not have said what was on her mind, but she had an interesting theory to Olivia's miraculous recovery.

Olivia let out an audible huff before entering her office. There were more pressing matters to deal with besides the fact that Olivia had returned to work after leaving early the day before. After settling in her office, Olivia went back out to check on the progress her team had been making in the case regarding Senator Wilson. She was pleased to be informed that Huck and Quinn had almost decrypted the names linked to the Senator's offshore account.

Olivia was sitting in her office alone eating take-out from the Chinese restaurant down the street when Quinn walked in.

"Did you find out who is linked to the account?" Liv asked eagerly as she put her fork down.

"No not yet. There are a couple more encryptions Huck is working to break through." Quinn reported taking a seat in front of Liv's desk.

"What's in the bag?" Olivia questioned, as her eyes were drawn to the plastic bag Quinn was carrying.

"Pregnancy tests..." Quinn announced placing one on Liv's desk. "For you."

"What? Why?" Liv replied in complete shock.

"I think you're pregnant." Quinn offered.

"You can't be serious?" Olivia responded, dumbfounded.

"You threw up yesterday, but had no other signs of illness. You showed up to work today, even after vomiting this morning." Quinn explained, "Jake told me about this morning and he asked me to keep an eye on you today." Quinn added. "You may be pregnant."

"No…I can't be." Olivia replied, still in shock. "How?" Olivia said, thinking out loud. She and Jake took the necessary precautions to prevent this situation.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "When you in Jake engage in certain adult extracurricular activities…"

"Stop. Talking. Quinn." Olivia ordered. "I don't need a biology lesson, thank you."

"When was your last period?" Quinn asked.

Olivia thought about it for a minute before her mouth dropped open, with the realization that she may indeed be pregnant. "6 weeks ago…" Olivia replied, scrolling through the calendar on her phone.

"I told you." Quinn said smiling.

Olivia was about to respond, but the two of them were interrupted when Jake knocked on the door and walked into the office. Olivia snatched the pregnancy test up and threw it into a drawer, hoping Jake hadn't seen it. She had barely digested the possibility herself, she wasn't ready to explain it to Jake just yet. "Jake, what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to hide her surprise.

"I just wanted to see how my beautiful girlfriend was doing." Jake replied.

"As you can see I'm fine." Olivia commented, smiling.

"What did you just throw in your desk?" Jake asked curiously. Olivia froze, not knowing what to say or do. Should she tell him? Should she lie? She didn't know what to do. She and Jake had talked about kids and having a family, but they weren't ready for it. She didn't know how he would handle the news and that scared in a little….actually it scared her a lot.

"I'm just going to go see if Huck's done. Good to see you Jake." Quinn muttered, excusing herself from the office as Jake and Olivia were left standing there in an awkward silence.

"Liv?" Jake asked.

"Why don't you take a seat Jake?" Olivia commented.

"You're scaring me Liv." Jake replied taking a seat on the sofa. Olivia pulled the pregnancy test from the drawer and slipped it into her pocket before walking over to Jake and taking a seat next to him.

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it…I think I may be pregnant." Olivia then pulled the pregnancy test from her pocket. "This is what I was hiding."

"What?" Jake asked in disbelief.

"I may be…" Olivia started to repeat.

"I heard you. I guess I'm just in shock. Wow. Pregnant. Really?" Jake replied as the emotions began to set in. "Are you going to take it now?"

"Now?" Olivia questioned.

"Why not, we're both here and wouldn't it be better just to know." Jake explained.

"True. I guess I could go take it, I will be right back." Olivia said as she walked off to the bathroom connected to her office.

Olivia's hand was trembling when she pulled the test out of the box. It was like the shock hit her all over again once she was holding that test in her hand. Olivia didn't know what to think, did she want the result to be positive or negative? What if it was positive? What would this mean for her and Jake? It was as if her life had sped up 300mph, everything was happening so fast. Olivia loved Jake, but she was scared about what a pregnancy would do to their relationship.

Olivia walked out of the bathroom stall and wrapped the test in several paper towels and then washed her hands. Olivia looked in the mirror and saw a scared Olivia Pope looking back at her. Not many things scared Olivia these days, but the possibility of being pregnant was the scariest thing Olivia thought could happen. Olivia took a deep breath, collected the bundle of paper towels and then went back into the office to wait with Jake.

"So?" Jake asked nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Now we wait." Olivia informed him as she set the paper towels on the coffee table in front of them and looked at her watch. The seconds seemed to drag on. Time seemed to stand still as Jake and Olivia sat there in silence, completely engulfed in their individual thoughts.

Jake wasn't going to admit this out loud, but he was excited. He wanted Olivia to be pregnant, he wanted to be a father, and he was ready. Jake knew that their relationship was still young, but he believed that he and Olivia could handle it. He was also scared; because he had no idea what Olivia was thinking. Over the years Jake had gotten pretty good at reading Liv; in fact he was probably one of the few people that she couldn't lie to because he would see right through it. However, Jake hadn't been able to read her since she told him she might be pregnant. Deep down he knew that if Olivia was pregnant the choice on what to do would be hers. He wasn't going to pressure her one way or another; this was her decision, and he would support her no matter what.

Olivia sat in silence, really thinking about her future. If she was pregnant what did she want to do? Did she want to keep it? Yes, she thinks she does. How would Jake react? There was no doubt in Olivia's mind that Jake would make an excellent dad, but she wondered if Jake would think this is too fast. Were they ready? The two of them had just transitioned into normal; would adding a baby to the mix put too much stress on their relationship? All of Olivia's thoughts categorized into three general questions: Was their relationship ready for a child? Was Jake ready for a child? And was she ready for a child? Truthfully, she didn't have an answer for any of them, but first things first; it was time to see if she was indeed pregnant.

"Is it time?" Jake asked anxiously. Olivia nodded as she reached for the paper towels sitting in front of them. Olivia held the pregnancy test in a position where both she and Jake could read it. Jake and Olivia looked at each other before looking down at the plastic stick

Looking down at the plastic stick, Jake and Olivia saw a….


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. It truly makes my day to hear what you have to say! Sorry…not sorry for the cliffhanger. I didn't mean to take this long to update, but life happens. However, the suspense shall now come to an end! Little bit of SMUT. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts by leaving a review.**

 _Looking down at the plastic stick, Jake and Olivia saw a…_ small + sign.

For Olivia, her world began to move in slow motion as she tried to wrap her head around the meaning of that little + sign. She was pregnant. She was having a baby. In a little less than nine months' time she would become responsible for a human being. Olivia was scared; she didn't have the best parental role models, and she had always feared that she would be an awful mother.

Olivia tried to push the negativity out of her mind and focus on the positives. She was Olivia Carolyn Pope, the fearless leader of gladiators in suits, she could handle this. Olivia also thought about her team and friends: Marcus, Huck, Quinn, and Abby, they wouldn't let her go through this alone. And of course she had Jake, the father of her unborn child. She knew that Jake would do anything for their child; he was going to be a great father. Although, Olivia still had some doubts she had assured herself that being pregnant wasn't the worst thing in the world.

"We're having a baby." Jake commented, shocked, he couldn't believe it; he was going to be a dad. Jake was feeling a rush of positive emotions; Olivia was going to be the mother of his children. His words brought Olivia back to the present.

"Yes, we are." Olivia replied, a slow smiling forming on her face. Jake's excitement and happiness over the news helped ease her uncertainty.

"I love you so much Olivia." Jake said as he wrapped Olivia into a hug.

"I love you too Jake." Olivia responded as she settled into Jake's arms, which gave her a sense of security and comfort.

"Can I ask you something?" Jake questioned a few minutes later, as he rested his head on top of Olivia's, the two of them cuddling on the sofa in her office.

"Anything?" she replied, looking into Jake's eyes trying to get a glimpse of what was on his mind.

"First, I don't want you to get the wrong impression; that I don't want this child because I do. I want to be his/her father, I'm not going anywhere, but I have one question. How?" Jake asked.

"How what?" Olivia countered softly, confused by Jake's statement.

"How are you pregnant? I understand the biology. However, we are always very safe and have taken the necessary precautions to prevent this scenario. We use condoms and you're on the pill." Jake pointed out.

"Car sex." Olivia commented, knowing exactly what had gotten them in this situation.

"What are you talking about?" Jake asked.

"The night we had our first Sunday dinner with my father, and we had sex in my parking garage." Olivia replied furrowing her brow, hoping Jake remembered the night their child had been conceived.

"I remember. What about it? Jake questioned as memories from that night came flooding back to him.

"We didn't use a condom and I forgot to take the pill the next morning. We woke up late and I had a client waiting for me, the pill just slipped my mind." Olivia paused, "You're not mad or angry that I forgot to take my pill are you?" Olivia now blamed herself for putting them in this unplanned situation, and hoped that Jake didn't resent her for being pregnant.

"This took both of us, so if you're not mad at me for forgetting to use a condom then I'm not mad at you for forgetting to take the pill." Jake said placing a kiss on Olivia's forehead. "We're going to be a family now." Jake whispered as he got off the couch and kneeled down in front of Olivia placing a gentle kiss on her stomach. "I love you little one."

"I love you too." Olivia said standing as she rubbed her flat belly softly; trying to imagine what she would look like in 5-6 months.

"This may just be the best lunch break ever; however I do have to get back to work, so I will see you at home later." Jake said as he pulled Olivia in close placing a kiss on her lips.

"I will see you at home." Olivia reiterated as Jake turned to leave, but she pulled him back towards her and kissed him passionately.

After Jake left, Olivia spent a couple minutes preparing herself for the rest of the day. Right now she had to focus on work.

"Where are we Quinn?" Olivia demanded in classic Olivia Pope fashion.

"Apparently a Samuel Lewis has made a series of large deposits into Senator Wilson's offshore account. When Huck and I went to look into him…well he's a nobody Liv. He lives in a small apartment on Wildberry, works at the corner coffee shop, I don't know how he gets by; let alone how he has the money to pay the Senator. Huck and I have set up surveillance at his apartment, we will monitor the coffee shop through the traffic cams and Marcus is looking through public records to see if there are any leads . So?" Quinn informed Liv as she posted pictures up on the wall.

"So, we keep working. We have to get to the bottom of this. Whatever Mr. Lewis is planning we will figure it out." Olivia replied in a strong tone as she looked over all the information Quinn had gathered.

"So, are you pregnant?" Quinn asked eagerly. She had gone to help Huck, but had noticed that Jake had stayed for quite some time.

"What?" Olivia replied completely taken it back by Quinn's question.

"Is there a mini Olivia Pope on the way?" Quinn questioned gleefully.

"Yes." Olivia smiled.

"No way! Wow! A baby gladiator. This is fantastic." Quinn shrieked, jumping up and down to express her excitement.

"Umm…" Huck coughed walking into the room. He couldn't hear what Quinn was shrieking about, but OPA was not a place where people shrieked. "What's going on?" Huck asked looking between Liv and Quinn for an explanation.

"Liv is having a baby!" Quinn announced prancing around the table over to Huck.

"Congratulations." Huck said as he walked over and gave Olivia a hug. "It's Jake's right?" Huck asked as he took a seat at the conference table.

"Yes, it's his." Olivia confirmed as she took a seat next to Huck.

"Jake is good for you Liv; he will be a great father." Huck added.

"I know." Liv smiled.

The team spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out who Samuel Lewis was. They had found a few leads that they would pursue in the morning, but it was time to call it quits for the day. Olivia was exhausted and all she wanted to do was to go home and put her feet up. After dismissing her fellow gladiators for the night, Olivia collected her belongings and locked up the office.

"Jake, I'm home." Olivia announced as she walked in the front door and placed her bag on the entrance way table. She then went to the sofa, sat down and took off her heels. Her feet were aching from standing up all day.

"Welcome home babe." Jake said walking into the living room and giving Olivia a gentle kiss. "I just started dinner, but I have a surprise for you while it cooks." Jake added before hurrying off to the bedroom to get Olivia's surprise. "Close your eyes." Jake instructed as he walked back into the living room with a large white gift bag. Jake placed the bag on Olivia's lap before telling her she could open her eyes.

"What is this Jake?" Olivia asked wide-eyed as she looked at the large bag that had been placed in front of her.

"Why don't you open it and find out." Jake replied grinning as he could wait to see Liv's reaction to what was inside. Olivia gave him a curious look before plunging her hand into the bag. The first thing Olivia pulled out was magenta tissue paper. Next Olivia pulled out a deep, red wine colored newborn onesie.

"Jake." Olivia said in disbelief. He had gone out and bought baby clothes; cute, fashionable baby clothes for that matter.

"You like them." Jake asked as Olivia continued to pull items from the bag. There was a dark green onesie with a monkey on the chest, a blue and white pinstriped pajama set, a tan colored onesie covered in orange giraffes and a black onesie made to look like a penguin.

"I love them all!" Olivia said she was speechless. She couldn't help but picture their child wearing each of the outfits. Jake had gone above and beyond to embrace this pregnancy and to prepare for life with a new addition to their family.

"I believe there is one more thing in that bag." Jake commented, as he noticed that she hadn't pulled out the custom onesie he had gotten. Olivia reached deep into the bag and pulled out a pure-white charmeuse onesie with: _Gladiator in Training_ embroider in black across the front.

"Jake, this is perfect!" Olivia sniffed trying to hold back the tears. A wave of emotions had just bombarded her and the only thing Olivia could do was cry.

"Are you ok Liv?" Jake asked softly as he scooted next to her and rubbed small circles on her back.

"I'm a hormonal mess." Liv confessed as she neatly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't believe you went out a bought baby clothes."

"Well, we are having a baby and our baby may want clothes to wear, so I thought I'd get a head start." Jake smiled.

Olivia let out a soft laugh. "Just promise to take me with you next time."

"Of course." Jake promised. "You know we have 30 minutes until dinner is going to be ready." Jake prompted as he nuzzled close to Liv and began peppering her neck with soft kisses. Olivia squirmed until Jake's touch, but gave in when he wrapped his arms around her and began to leave a trail of kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. Olivia repositioned herself lying down on the couch and immediately reached for Jake's belt. She sat up slightly to allow Jake to pull her blouse off. After making quick work of his belt Olivia began to pull at the hem of shirt, he took this as his cue and made quick work of his grey t-shirt. Olivia let out an audible gasp, as Jake's muscular chest always seemed to turn her on. She reached up and rubbed her hands up and down his chest, occasionally digging her nails in. Jake loved the feeling of Olivia's hands on his chest, but they only had a short amount of time, and Jake was ready to cut to the chase.

Jake reached under Olivia and swiftly removed her black bra with one hand while his other hand had slipped under her skirt and was making its way up her inner thigh. Olivia moaned softly, as Jake's fingers made contact with her panties. Within seconds he had slipped a finger inside of her and was slowly moving it in and out of her. With each of his movements Olivia breathed a little harder and before long Jake had a second finger inside. She also felt the growing bulge in Jake's pants press firmly against her; deciding it was time to give Jake some attention she slowly palmed his pants. Jake knew he couldn't keep it in his pants much longer, so he removed his fingers from Olivia and quickly hoped off the couch to remove his pants.

As Jake went to climb back on the couch Olivia held up her hand. "Jake, I can't. She whispered. Although he was surprised by her sudden statement didn't push any further. "What's wrong Liv?" He asked as pulled his jeans back on.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, feeling terrible for ruining their moment.

"You don't have to be sorry. Just talk to me." Jake replied, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm not in the mood." Olivia answered, blushing with embarrassment. Jake never failed to please her sexually, but tonight she just wasn't feeling it.

"Did I do something to make you feel uncomfortable?" Jake asked. Olivia almost never turned down sex from him. He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but his ego had taken a little bit of a hit.

"No…not at all Jake." Olivia said cupping his face in her hands to ensure he heard her next words. "You do more for me than any man ever has or ever will. I love you, but with my hormones and being exhausted from this case at work; I can't tonight. I know you want to celebrate our big news from today; I do to, just not tonight. I will make it up to you, I promise. I love you." Olivia emphasized the last 'I love you' before placing a kiss on Jake's lips.

"I will hold you to that Ms. Pope." Jake said playfully, his ego healing a little after hearing the reasoning from Olivia.

"I'm counting on it Mr. Ballard." Olivia winked, as the two of them got dressed.

"Let's feed you and that baby." Jake offered, changing the subject as he heard the oven beep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind reviews on this story, I cannot express to you how much your reviews mean to me. I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying this story so far and I am eager to continue. So without any more from me here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Throughout the rest of the week OPA looked into all the leads they had on Samuel Lewis, but no results came of it. The team was frustrated knowing that there was something to figure out, but being unable to discover exactly what it was. Olivia had sent her team on an hour recess to give them some time away from the office to clear their heads, which allowed Olivia to look at everything on the wall, formulate her own thoughts.

Nearing the end of the hour break, Olivia came up with another possible lead; her father. If her team hadn't been able to find out who Mr. Lewis was then maybe her dad would have some insight. However, Olivia was hesitant to ask her dad, knowing she was at risk of putting herself in a messy situation. Also, she and her dad had been working on an amicable relationship and Olivia didn't want to rock the boat; considering asking her father for help usually led to power moves and threats against everyone she cared about. At this point Olivia didn't see any other option, her team had done everything, but came up empty. Liv decided to she would ask her dad during Sunday dinner and then if anything came up she would inform her team first thing Monday morning; in the meantime OPA would start back at square one and see if they missed anything at first glance.

By the time Sunday evening rolled around Olivia was visibly frustrated and irritated. It wasn't often her team got completely stuck trying to solve a case; and the frustration was seen throughout the office. The challenging week at OPA had taken its toll on Olivia both mentally and physically. Jake was getting a little tired of her short temper and sassy attitude.

"What's going on Liv?" Jake asked firmly, as he was buttoning his white dress shirt.

"Nothing." Olivia replied flatly.

"Really?" Jake countered. "Because you have been on edge most of the week and you have developed an attitude."

"I don't have an attitude." Olivia shot back defensively.

"No attitude. Uh…huh." Jake replied as he tied his tie.

"What do you want Jake?" Olivia asked exasperated, as she roamed her closed trying to figure out what to wear.

"I want you to tell me what's going on. What has put you in such a sour mood this week?" Jake explained.

"Samuel Lewis." Olivia replied, as she finally chose an outfit; a royal blue blouse, black slacks and a black blazer.

"Who's he?" Jake asked, never hearing the name before.

"The reason I am so irritated. My team has been looking into him for a week and we haven't found anything." Olivia said.

"Maybe there's nothing to find." Jake pointed out, grabbing his suit jacket off the bed.

"There is." Olivia responded.

"What?" Jake asked curiously.

"I can't tell you." Olivia smiled.

"I am the head of the NSA what do you mean you can't tell me?" Jake questioned.

"If I find something that concerns you, I will tell you." Olivia promised. "Anyway, I'm thinking of asking my father about him tonight. If my team can't find anything on him, maybe my father knows something."

"Are you sure you want to go down that road?" Jake asked feeling a little uneasy about the direction in which this was headed.

"I do. My team has gone through every resource at our disposal and found nothing, however; my gut tells me there is something to find. I wouldn't ask my father unless I thought I had to. I have too; if he can give me any information on this guy then I need it." Olivia reasoned.

"If you think it's the best option." Jake pressed, still unsure of the idea of Olivia asking Rowan for help.

"Unfortunately it is." Olivia commented sadly, hearing the uncertainty in Jake's voice.

"Just be careful; you are walking a very fine line." Jake gave in. "And if your gut tells you something is wrong, tell me."

"I will." Olivia agreed, knowing that in the past she and Jake were a good team when going against Rowan and often proved to be a worthy opponent.

"Let's get going so we aren't late." Jake said looking down at his watch.

Dinner started off very casual and pleasant. Rowan seemed actively interested in what Jake and Olivia had been doing throughout the week.

"Olivia dear, you haven't touched your wine? I thought I chose an excellent bottle." Rowan commented.

Olivia could feel Jake staring at her, knowing he was curious to see what her answer would be. "It is an excellent wine, one of my favorites. I'm not in the mood for wine tonight that's all." Olivia replied kindly.

"Very well then." Rowan said finding Olivia's answer a bit strange, but otherwise reasonable. "I will go get desert." Rowan added before heading off to the kitchen.

Jake and Olivia exchanged an entire conversation about what just happened using their eyes, not wanting Rowan to overhear them. Although Jake supported Olivia's decision to keep the news from her father, at least for now, he wondered when the two of them would tell him he was going to be a grandfather. Olivia's eyes told Jake to trust her and that she wasn't ready to tell her dad, but she would at some point. Liv knew that she would only be able to avoid wine at Sunday dinner's for so long before her dad would suspect something. Although Olivia had barely begun forming a bump, she knew she wouldn't be able to conceal it forever, but for now she was content on keeping it a secret.

For dessert Rowan brought out the tiramisu that had been thawing on the counter. Rowan cut three small slices before distributing them to Jake and Olivia, keeping one for himself.

"Dad, do you know a Samuel Lewis?" Olivia asked, taking a sip of water.

Rowan set down his fork and gently patted his lips, buying himself some time to think about what he wanted to tell his daughter. "What about him?" Rowan replied, wondering how this man had crossed paths into Olivia's life.

"So you do know him." Olivia confirmed by her father's response. Olivia then decided to tell her father about her current case, hoping he would be able to help, clearly he knew the man, and so it was worth a shot to see what he would tell her. "He is making large deposits into an offshore account of Senator Wilson, some Senators are concerned that Mr. Lewis is buying votes from the senator, who has been a key swing vote in several recent bills brought to the Senate Floor.

"I knew Mr. Lewis a while ago, tried to recruit him many years back, but the pieces never fell right. A shame really, I could have made him into a special soldier." Rowan rambled, getting a little side tracked. "Anyways, I don't know what he has been doing lately, but for you my dear I will put my ear to the ground and fight out what I can."

"I appreciate it dad." Olivia replied finishing her dessert.

"But, if I'm going to do something for you I will need something in exchange." Rowan added.

Olivia saw Jake tense up out of the corner of her eye. "What?" Olivia asked as pleasantly as she could, knowing this was coming.

"I need a favor." Rowan said vaguely.

"What type of favor?" Jake interjected, not liking where this conversation was going.

"One of my aspiring agents, Ben Knox, has gotten himself into a little trouble with the justice department. See that it goes away." Rowan responded.

"I will see what I can do." Olivia commented before Jake had a chance to reply.

The rest of the evening was spent sharing light conversation, before Olivia and Jake decided it was time to go. Jake had been quite for most of the evening, so Olivia was curious to hear his opinions.

"Be careful Olivia." Jake warned as they started home.

"I know Jake." Olivia replied softly, knowing that Jake was concerned about her father's intentions and that he wanted her to be safe.

"I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but I worry about you; especially when you get involved in Rowan's world." Jake explained.

"I worry about me too. I know you are just looking out for me and I'm grateful for that." Olivia added.

"So when are you going to tell him your pregnant?" Jake asked changing the subject.

"When I'm ready." Olivia answered.

"Is that going to be before or after your baby bump starts showing?" Jake joked, although Olivia didn't find his comment to be very funny.

"I don't know Jake. I don't know if I will ever be ready to tell him, the man frowns upon having a family, claiming it to be a weakness, which it is, but that's not the point. The point is my father has tried to destroy every significant relationship I have ever been in, including this one. And I know he approves of you, but a child, I don't think he would approve. I'm scared of what he may do." Olivia ranted.

"Do you need his approval?" Jake asked calmly, knowing this was a touchy subject.

"No, but yes. I don't need him to approve of my life. I'm happy, but whenever my father doesn't approve of my life he makes bad things happen to show me he doesn't approve. Edison's car crash, killing Fitz son, I can't put this child in harm's way like that." Olivia replied.

"As long as I am here, nothing will happen to you or our baby." Jake reassured her, as they walked into their house.

"What if one day you're not here? I can't do this alone Jake, I need you." Olivia cried as she collapsed on the couch.

Seeing the pain that this conversation was causing Olivia, cut to Jake's core; he hated seeing Olivia so emotionally distraught. Jake gently cupped Olivia's face and lifted her head slightly so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "Olivia you mean more to me than anything in this world and I will never stop loving you, helping you or protecting you. Together we are going to love and protect our child. You will never be alone. I am never going to leave you. I am here; Abby, Quinn, Huck and Marcus, we are all here. Over a cliff. You are never alone." He brushed away the tears as Olivia slowly calmed downed.

"I have my first OBGYN appointment on Friday at 10 if you want to come." Olivia commented after regrouping.

"Of course I'm coming. I wouldn't miss it for anything." Jake replied excitedly.

"I just didn't know if you had a meeting or anything." Olivia defended.

"If I do, I will have to reschedule. I'm clearing my schedule to be there with you!" Jake replied, making it clear that nothing was going to interfere with this doctor's appointment. Olivia smiled, before leaning in and giving Jake a kiss. His dedication to this child was amazing; he was ready to be a dad and wanted to be there every step of the way.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks everyone for your kind words! It is so nice to see how many people enjoy this story and that helps in my motivation to update. Sorry it has been awhile, a busy schedule and some writer's block have led to this delay! I have already started writing the next chapter, so hopefully I will be able to update again soon. Enjoy!**

Olivia and Jake were waiting nervously at the doctor's office; this was Olivia's first obstetrics appointment. Olivia was constantly tapping her foot on the group, waiting for her name to be called. Jake was an excited type of nervous, and he did a better job of hiding his nervousness. Although Jake seemed to be casually holding Olivia's hand and reading the National Geographic he had picked up from the table, he was mindlessly staring at the pages. All of the words seemed to blend together and Jake had no real comprehension for what he was doing; for Jake this was a distraction until he and Olivia could see the doctor. Jake could sense Olivia's nervousness through the death grip that she had on his hand, but the only thing they could do was wait.

"Olivia Pope." A nurse in purple scrubs called from the door. Olivia felt like she had been waiting an eternity, but now that her name had been called she had trouble finding her feet. Lucky for her Jake was there to lend a hand.

"Babe, you ready?" Jake asked standing in front of Olivia, extending his hand for her.

"Yeah." Olivia breathed as she took Jake's hand and walked towards the nurse.

"You must be Olivia. I'm Kelly." The nurse greeted, shaking Olivia's hand. "And are you the father?"

"Yes, Jake Ballard. Nice to meet you." Jake said proudly, as he too shook hands with the nurse. Father. Hearing that title gave Jake a new sense of purpose; in a few short months there was going to be a little baby that would depend on him and Jake couldn't wait to prove himself worthy of the task.

"Alrighty then. Olivia I'm going to start by getting your height, weight, and temperature and then we will get the two of you situated in a room. After the nurse got Olivia and Jake settled in the room she proceeded to ask a few questions.

"When were you last period?" Kelly questioned.

"March 18th." Olivia replied, as the nurse made a few notes.

"That would put you at roughly ten weeks pregnant. Are you experiencing morning sickness?"

"Yes. I had morning sickness regularly about two weeks ago, but I haven't felt any in about a week." Olivia recalled, as the unpleasant memories of throwing up came back to her.

"Are you having difficulty sleeping?"

"No, not yet." Olivia answered.

"Lastly, are you in any pain?" Kelly asked.

"A little, in the abdomen." Olivia said honestly. Jake sat up a little straighter; she hadn't mentioned anything to him about being in pain.

"On a scale of 1-10, 10 being we need to get you admitted to the hospital how bad is the pain?" The Nurse questioned.

"A 2 or 3. It comes and goes." Olivia commented.

"The pain is probably from your uterus expanding, but I will let the doctor know and she can take a closer look. Dr. Rhodes will be in momentarily." Kelly added as she finished jotting down a few notes. Olivia and Jake both said goodbye to Kelly and then waited in silence for the doctor to come in.

A couple minutes later there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in." Jake and Olivia said in unison as a young woman in a white coat and a brunette ponytail poked her head inside.

"Olivia, I'm Dr. Angela Rhodes. It is a pleasure to meet you." She greeted.

"Nice to meet you. This is my boyfriend Jake." Olivia replied introducing Jake to the doctor.

"It is lovely to meet you." Dr. Rhodes said as she sat down and looked at the notes the nurse had made. "So today we will be doing your first ultrasound and we can get an approximated due date. You will also be able to see the baby and the heartbeat. I will also do a check-up on mom and then we can make an appointment for about 8-10 weeks, at which point if you would like, I should be able to tell you the sex of the baby."

Dr. Rhodes got Olivia situated on the exam table before preparing the ultrasound machine. Jake pulled up a chair right next to Olivia and held her hand.

"This gel is going to be a little cold." Dr. Rhodes warned as she squeezed the gel onto Olivia's bare stomach. Olivia tensed, but then relax as Dr. Rhodes began to move the gel around. Olivia and Jake had their eyes fixed on the little monitor as Dr. Rhodes searched for their unborn child.

It didn't take long for a soft 'lub-dub' to fill the room. "That is your baby's heartbeat." Dr. Rhodes pointed out the small flickering on the screen. Olivia and Jake were in awe; it seemed that this pregnancy was now becoming a reality as they watched the little heart flicker on the monitor.

"It's seems fast." Jake comment, the slightest hint of concern in his voice.

"The heart rate always looks fast on the ultrasound, but I can assure you that this child has a strong and steady heartbeat, completely normal for this stage. And it looks like your due date is December 7th.

Dr. Rhodes let Jake and Olivia stare at the monitor for a few more minutes, before printing them both a copy of the ultrasound and continuing on with the appointment. Both mom and baby were in great health. Jake mentioned to Dr. Rhodes his concerns about Olivia's stressful and demanding occupation; which Olivia wasn't completely thrilled about. However, Dr. Rhodes assured both Jake and Olivia that it was perfectly fine for Olivia to be working, but as the pregnancy progressed Olivia needed to listen to her body and take breaks throughout the day to get off her feet and relax.

After making Olivia's next appointment Jake and Olivia walked out of the doctor's office hand in hand, the happiest they had been in quite some time. Olivia and Jake shared this sense that their relationship was stronger than it had ever been.

"Let me take you out to lunch before I drop you off at work." Jake offered as they reach the car.

"I would love to, but I already took the morning off and I have a client coming in an hour." Olivia replied after consulting watch seeing that her appointment had run a little longer than expected.

"You need to eat." Jake protested lightly. "You are providing for more than just yourself these days."

"I know Jake, and I will eat. Marcus brought in a delicious pasta salad yesterday and there is a little left over in the fridge." Olivia commented as she understood Jake's concern over her well-being. She wasn't the best taking care of herself; she always put her job and her people above herself. Olivia knew that she was going to have to start looking out for herself a little bit more. However she was thankful Jake was always looking out for her.

Throughout the day Olivia couldn't keep a smile off her face; Olivia couldn't explain her happiness she just felt happy. Olivia's pleasant emotion didn't go unnoticed by her co-workers.

"Does Liv seem happy to you?" Quinn asked Huck and Marcus, while they waited in the conference room for Olivia to tell them if she had accepted the case of the new client.

"Ya." Huck replied simply.

"Like overly happy?" Quinn pressed.

"I have known Liv a long time and this is the happiest I have ever seen her." Huck told Quinn. Huck didn't see a problem with Olivia's happiness. He of all people knew that she deserved it, so in turn Huck was happy for his boss.

"I agree, but it's just so weird. Olivia has never really displayed happiness." Quinn commented still perplexed by this new version of Olivia. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just different."

"It's motherhood." Marcus chimed in. "It changes people." Huck and Quinn both started at Marcus. Quinn couldn't help but roll her eyes at Marcus' cliché answer. Besides Olivia was like 2 months pregnant, motherhood couldn't have already changed her.

"She has been pregnant for like a day." Quinn replied metaphorically.

"So." Marcus protested. "She is still a mother and that feeling will never go away. Having the responsibility of being a parent is one of the greatest honors a person can have. Olivia will now see the world through a different lens, the lens of a parent."

"He's right." Huck agreed, as he remembered the day Kim told him he would be a father. And even though Huck wasn't involved in Javi's life, he was forever changed because of Javi. Quinn didn't get a chance to respond as Olivia walked into the conference room.

"We're taking the case." Olivia informed them, before escorting the new client out of the office. "We will start working on our new client first thing Monday morning. Go home everyone, enjoy the weekend." Olivia added, dismissing her team relatively early for a Friday.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am so very sorry this took so long to update! I had a good portion of it written and I couldn't figure out how to round it out. Thank you so much for all your kind words about this story. It makes me so happy to see all of you enjoying this journey and your reviews motivated me to finish this chapter out. Enjoy!**

 _Monday Morning_

The new client was Stephanie Crossmeyer; she was the current Attorney General of New York running for New York's open Senate seat. Officially, Stephanie was interested in Olivia running her campaign. Unofficially, Stephanie had come to hire Olivia to combat a possible scandal that could arise during her campaign. Olivia didn't know the Attorney General personally, but Olivia knew her reputation and believed that New York would benefit from having her as their Senator.

"What's her deal?" Quinn asked of the mystery woman they had seen leave Friday afternoon.

"Stephanie Claire Crossmeyer, Attorney General of New York. Senate hopeful." Olivia announced as she posted a picture of their new client onto the wall. "Two and a half years ago when first elected as Attorney General she began sleeping with Marshall Hawks."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Huck asked.

"Because he is the current front runner to win New York's open Senate seat." Olivia answered as she added a picture of Marshall to the board.

"So?" Quinn questioned, missing the reason why Stephanie had just become a client.

"Two years ago Stephanie gave birth to Madison. Stephanie admitted that Madison is Marshall's however, when their relationship ended shortly after Madison's was conceived Marshall decided he did not want to be involved in raising her. Apparently, he pays a generous amount in child support, but has refused any other involvement in Madison's life." Olivia replied.

"Sleeping with the enemy." Quinn smirked.

"So what? Stephanie thinks that Marshall will try to take her down by exposing Madison." Marcus commented.

"Exactly." Olivia replied as she continued to post information on the board.

"If he exposes her than he also exposes himself." Quinn pointed out.

"There is always a way to spin a story. When this comes out, we have to spin it and attack. Marshall is shaming a single parent, who he left. There is thousands of single parent's out there working to provide for their families and Stephanie is no different. Her past should not be able to ruin her future." Olivia proclaimed. Something about this case hit close to home with Olivia and maybe it was because she was an expecting mother.

For the remainder of the week OPA put aside working on Senator Wilson's case, to focus on Stephanie's case. OPA looked at all the ways Marshall could negatively spin his relationship with Stephanie to damage her chances. Now all OPA could do was wait for the news to break, and when it did they would be ready.

"You've been working hard this week." Jake commented as the two got ready to head off to Sunday dinner with Rowan.

"I'm gonna tell him." Olivia announced.

"Tell who what?" Jake asked as he tied his tie in the mirror, confused by Olivia's vagueness.

"My father, I'm going to tell him about the baby." Olivia said confidently.

"Why now?" Jake questioned, curious to see what had changed her mind.

"I know who my father is and what he has done, but he deserves a chance to be involved in our child's life and I don't think you or I should deny him of that." Olivia explained. Jake was pleasantly surprised with Olivia's answer.

"I completely agree." Jake smiled. From day one he had wanted Olivia to tell her father that she's was pregnant, but he understood her reserve. Jake was happy that she was willing to tell him now.

Olivia was quiet for a while as she finished getting ready for Sunday dinner.

"Liv. What's wrong?" Jake asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed tying his shoes.

"Nothing." She replied, glancing in the mirror to admire her outfit.

"I can hear your brain waves from here, it's not nothing." Jake pressed. "Talk to me."

Olivia didn't respond immediately, she paused to decide if she wanted to tell Jake the truth.

"Are you ever going to leave me?" Olivia asked in a shaky voice as she turned to face Jake. "Leave me alone to be a single parent and raise this child by myself."

Jake was shocked, he had no idea what would put that thought in her head. Olivia was the most important person in his life; a person he loved and cared about more than anything. Jake had to suppress a laugh as Olivia's statement was absolutely ridiculous, but Olivia was not joking.

"Never." He said confidently as he gently pulled Olivia over to him. "Never." Jake whispered again, wrapping his arms around Olivia and pulling her down into his lap. He held Olivia close, letting her feel his love and protection. Olivia began to cry into Jake's shoulder and while she cried he comforted her and rubbed soothing circle on her back.

After a little while Olivia had composed herself and looked up into Jake's eyes. Glancing into his green hues Olivia saw love, concern, and worry. She saw a man who had no intentions of ever leaving. She wasn't Stephanie and Jake was not Marshall. "I'm sorry Jake. I didn't mean…" she muttered.

"Don't be sorry. Talk to me Liv, whatever made you think I was going to leave. I love you and our child. I will always be here for the both of you." Jake replied brushing a few strands of hair out of Olivia's face.

"It's this case a work. A man knows he is the father of a child, yet he left the mother and now refuses to have any part in his child's life." Olivia explained.

"You and I have nothing to do with your work. One of these days you are going to have to learn to detach your professional life from your personal life." Jake replied. "There are a lot of shitty people in the world, especially in this town, but that doesn't make everyone here self-centered, power hungry, or corrupt."

"I know that Jake." Olivia said defensively.

"But do you Liv?" Jake asked. Olivia knew that Jake was right. She had a tendency to let her professional life impact her personal life, and that was ok when it was just her and Jake because he understood her world, however when this child entered their lives Olivia didn't want to blend her two lives.

"Let's get going." Olivia stated, as she wanted to get her mind off her conversation with Jake because Olivia knew he was right and she hated being wrong.

For the most part the ride to her father's was silent. There was soft music playing in the background and Olivia had her hand resting on the center console intertwined with Jake's, but the two of them shared minimal conversation as they were both lost in thought.

Conversation picked up once Olivia and Jake arrived at Rowan's as Rowan was full on questions for the two of them wondering what had happened since the last time they saw each other.

"Let's eat." Rowan announced as he brought the sliced chicken to the table and began serving his guest. He had also prepared a salad, mashed potatoes, and green beans to go with the chicken and both Olivia and Jake were eager to try it all. Rowan poured three glasses of wine before everyone began to eat.

The first couple minutes of the meal were silent as everyone spooned food into their mouths.

"I'm pregnant." Olivia announced, taking everyone by surprised.

The next sound heard was a mix of Rowan's wine glass shattering on the kitchen floor and Jake choking on a piece of chicken. Both men were caught completely off guard by Olivia's announcement and although Jake knew it was coming he wasn't expecting her to be so straightforward about it.

Olivia ignored the look of surprise on Jake's face and was solely focused on her father's reaction. Per usual, Olivia couldn't read her father, her gut was telling her nothing and he was wearing a blank facial expression as he was try to process Olivia's words.

Olivia waited and waited…and waited, but still no response or movement came from Rowan. The room had fallen deathly silent as Jake looked at Olivia and she looked at her father, who stared back at her.

Olivia felt like her father was about to explode, but she didn't know for certain.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: First and foremost, I would like to thank all of you for your kind feedback and support for this story. Seeing how many people are enjoying this story makes me so happy and your reviews encourage me to keep writing. Secondly, I would like to apologize for my long absence, with school starting back up and a lot going on mixed with some writer's block it made it difficult to find time to write. Thank you all again for your patience, hopefully the length and contexts of this chapter will make up for my absence. As always, ENJOY!**

An awkward silence filled the room as every person seemed to be frozen time. Rowan's stare caused Olivia to lower her head and stare at her lap, as she began to second guess her bold statement. Olivia caught a glimpse of Jake staring at her, his mouth wide open in shock. Although, Olivia knew that Jake supported her no matter what at this instant in time she felt alone. Olivia quietly strummed her hands on her thigh waiting to see who would make the first comment.

After what felt like an hour of stillness and silent Rowan spoke.

"Congratulations." Rowan said.

"What?" Olivia whispered as she lifted her head, surprised by her fathers' words. When Olivia's gaze met her father's she saw him smiling back at her. Not one of his condescending, fake smiles, but a genuine, happy smile. One Olivia hadn't seen since she was a child.

"Congratulations." Rowan repeat.

"Thank you." Jake replied happily as Olivia was still trying to process the positive reaction she had gotten from her father.

"You know Olivia." Rowan began. Olivia fidgeted slightly in her chair as her father seemed to be preparing for some type of lecture. "You have always been my greatest achievement." Olivia swallowed hard, waiting for a but, that never came. "I raised an exceptional daughter: intelligent, confident, beautiful, hardworking, and tough minded. And like every father I have had dreams for you. Dreams that you would go to college, find a job, meet a respectable man, and get married. I have dreamed of walking you down the aisle to a man worthy of marrying you. And I have dreamed of the grandchildren you will would bless me with. Mini Olivia's that I can spoil and take finishing. You may not have fulfilled my dreams in order, but I could not be any happier right now to hear that I'm going to be a grandpa."

Olivia was so touched by her father's comment that tears began to fall; she gracefully swept them away with her napkin. "Thank you dad." Olivia replied as she stood up and walk around the table to where her father sat to give him a hug. This has the first meaningful hug she remembered receiving from him in a long time. When Olivia returned to her seat Rowan turned his attention to Jake.

"Jake, I know that our past is clouded, but I want you two know that despite our differences I think very highly of you. Over the years you have put my daughter's safety above your own. You have always shown me that you will protect her and care for her at all costs. You have loved Olivia unconditionally, and been there for her when I can't. For all of that I thank you. You are more than worthy of Olivia."

"Dad!" Olivia protested, Olivia was never keen on the idea that a man had to be worthy of a worthy. However, Rowan raised his hand, silencing Olivia.

"What I am trying to say Jake is that I am proud to call you my son." Rowan finished.

"Thank you, sir." Jake replied as his heart swelled with pride. Jake would never admit it out loud, but he had always hoped that if he and Olivia were ever able to truly be together that Rowan would give Jake his blessing. As her father it meant a lot to Jake for Rowan to openly accept him.

After everyone got over the pregnancy announcement dinner and dessert continued. The mood in the house seemed to shift as the rest of the night was filled with happy conversation about the baby and Rowan drilling Jake and Olivia with questions about the baby and their future, many of which Jake and Olivia had no answer for.

Jake and Olivia were at dinner longer than either of the expected they would be, but for once, they had enjoyed themselves and it didn't seem likely the weekly dinner was a forced event.

"Do you feel better now?" Jake asked as he and Olivia walked up to her apartment from the parking garage.

"I do. In my gut I knew that I had to tell him and I couldn't be happier that I did." Olivia replied. "And don't think I didn't see that shocked look on your face as well." Olivia teased.

"Hey!" Jake weakly defended. "Your dad's a little intimidating and telling him your pregnant was a big step. I was more nervous for his reaction; he was quiet for such a long time I thought he was going to explode."

"He didn't and I think that shows that he can be a positive person in our lives. Anyways, he is the best person I got for parenting advice. My mom's dead, I haven't ever met your parents, and Abby and Quinn aren't mothers. So that leaves him. He can be our example of what not to do." Olivia said as she kicked off her shoes and laid down on the couch.

"There is no magic formula to parenting Liv. It's just us, we don't need anyone to tell us how to be parents. As the parents we get to make the rules and decide how we want to raise our kids. And you will make an incredible mom!" Jake reassured, giving her a kiss on the top of her head before walking into the kitchen to make a bowl of popcorn.

"So your dad asked a lot of questions tonight?" Jake said as he walked back into the living room with a bowl of fresh popcorn.

"Yes." Liv agreed as she grabbed a handful of popcorn and tossed it in her mouth.

"I think we should talk about some of his questions." Jake continued as he sat down on the couch and began to massage Olivia's feet.

"Ok." Said nonchalantly as she continued to eat popcorn.

"We can skip the name question until we know the gender. After our child is born, how much time are you going to take off? And when you return to work are you going to bring her/him with you, get a babysitter?" Jake asked diving right in.

"I will probably take a month or so off, I have already prepared Quinn, Marcus and Huck for my absence. I want to take her to work with me, for the most part there is always someone in the office that I would trust to watch him/her. But, I guess it would be good to have a quality babysitter for when you have a work emergency. And you are home in the evenings if I have to work late." Liv explained, clearly having thought about this already.

"I'm the head of the NSA." Jake said stating the obvious.

"I know." Olivia said mindlessly, not understanding why Jake was telling her this.

"I'm the head of the NSA, meaning that unless I am in a meeting I can drop everything and be there for you and the baby. I will also be taking the standard two-week paternity leave, unless a major national crisis develops." Jake added.

"Good to know. Are there any other burning questions that we need to answer now?" Liv asked.

"When are you going to slow down?" Jake asked.

"When I have to." Liv replied vaguely, as she didn't want to stop working until necessary.

"Liv," Jake warned knowing Olivia didn't know how to slow down, her life was constantly moving and she was determined to keep up.

"Jake," Olivia answered matching his tome. "I know you worry about me, but when I need to I will slow down. This child will tell me when I need to be taking it easy. I will probably cut back my hours at 26-28 weeks. And then go in a few days a week that. However, I plan on working until this baby comes, unless I am ordered on bedrest." Olivia responded.

"You say this Liv, but I have never seen you slow down. You are always looking for the next challenge, and I admire that about you, but you have a child to think of." Jake countered.

"Don't you think I know that Jake?!" Olivia interrupt raising her voice as she pulled her feet out of Jake's hands and stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "You know I have looked in the mirror recently and seen my stomach grow. Do you really think I would willingly put our child in harm's way?" Olivia asked, losing her temper, she could believe what Jake was insinuating.

Jake immediately felt guilty for upsetting Olivia, he just wanted her to realize the impact her profession had on her body. "I didn't mean it that way." Jake protested softly as he stood from the couch to face Olivia. Jake reached for Olivia, but she backed away quickly.

"Please don't touch me right now Jake, I need some space." She replied as she took a deep breath.

"Fine." Jake agreed, putting his hands up, surrendering. "I know you would never put our child in danger and I'm sorry that my comment suggested that. I was just trying to point out that your job can be dangerous at times and I just hate the thought of you and our baby in danger. I worry about you every day." Jake apologized.

Olivia looked up at his face and saw that he was truly sorry. She couldn't help walk over to Jake and burry her face in his chest, wrapping his arms around him. She knew that he never meant to offend her. Olivia found instant security in Jake's arms, she the feeling of his arms around her holding her tight and protecting her from what she turned a blind eye to.

"I know that my job can put me in some scary situations, but I will never ever risk the well-being of this child. And sometimes I worry about me too." Olivia whispered.

Jake squeezed her a little harder, before kissing the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too Jake." Olivia said as she looked up at him. She stood up on her tip toes caressing his face with both her hands before bringing his face down to hers for a kiss. The kiss started of gently, but Olivia wanted more. She wrapped her hands around his neck for more stability and leaned against Jake, who securely placed his hands on her lower back. Their tongues fought for dominance, only finally pulling away for air.

Liv reached up to Jake's lips and smeared her lip stick from his lips with a smirk. "I have a surprise, follow me." Olivia said taking his hand.

"I love surprises." Jake replied with a smirk as he gave Olivia's butt a flirtatious smack.

"Close your eyes. No peaking." Olivia instructed as she lead Jake down the hallway, turning right before reaching her bed room. "Ok, open your eyes."

"What happened to your office?" Jake asked in astonishment, as he looked around a completely empty room that had previously been Olivia's home office.

"I moved a lot of the files to storage and I am going to move my work space to the dining room table. We only use the kitchen table so I figured I could put the dining room table to good use." Olivia replied.

"And what is this room going to be?" Jake questioned.

"The nursery. Although I originally thought about keeping the walls white to match the entire house. However, I was thinking of painting the room a deep red and then doing white furnishing. I was thinking the crib would go against this wall here. The rocking chair can go in that far corner. The changing table can go by the window and the dresser can go again the wall over there." Liv said pointing to the wall across from where the crib would be. "And a little play area in that corner. What do you think?" she said as she turned to Jake beaming.

"I can't believe you planned the entire nursery without me, but I love it!" Jake commented as he gazed around the room imagining everything Liv had just explained. He couldn't wait for the room to take shape and for their little bundle of joy to arrive.

"It was just an idea I had, and I haven't bought any of the furniture or paint. So maybe this weekend we can go shopping and test out different paint colors. This will be our little project." Liv said as she took another look around the empty room. She couldn't wait to work on it with Jake.

"Sounds perfect. You are amazing Liv." He replied as he gave he a gentle kiss.

"Your pretty great too." Olivia teases as she stifled a yawn.

"I think it's time to get you to bed." Jake pointed out as he picked Olivia up and carried her off to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm back. Sorry it's been so long. With Scandal on its hiatus and a busy schedule I haven't had much motivation to write. However, I am back now and with Scandal coming back I'm hoping seeing Jake and Olivia again will help with the creative process. Thank you for sticking with this story. Please fill free to let me know your thoughts. WARNING: a little smut at the end. Enjoy!**

 _2 months later._

Olivia took a deep breath as she paced back and forth in the large conference room. She paused and placed her hand on her slightly protruding stomach, helping her to relax. Their client Joseph Rondo had been taken into custody for allegedly wiring money from Technologic, a rising software company. Olivia's team was still working on a defense when the Justice Department came in with a warrant for Mr. Rondo's arrest. Quinn had been sent down to the police station to represent their client while Huck and Marcus worked on the company itself. Marcus went undercover as a newly hired HR personnel, in order to observe the people that Joseph worked with. In the meantime, Huck pretended to be a member of the company's IT team, looking to see if there was a digital trail.

In his defense, Joseph, had told Pope and Associates that he didn't steal any money for the company. He argued that someone else in the company was using his access code to access the company servers and make the transfers. Since it was indeed Joseph's access code being used Justice had enough information to arrest Joseph. It was Quinn's job to delay the trail process as long as possible in order to give Huck and Marcus enough time to find the person responsible for framing their client.

The sound of the elevator stopping broke Liv's concentration as she instinctively reached for her purse that was sitting on the conference room table. Olivia's hand found her gun as someone opened the front door.

"Liv, you here?" A familiar voice called out. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her hand out of her purse as Jake walked into the conference room.

"Were you going to pull your gun on me?" Jake asked jokingly as he walked into the conference room, having seen Olivia remove her hand from her purse.

"That's not funny Jake." Olivia replied, trying to hide her uneasiness. "I was kidnapped and you were stabbed in this very room. So, forgive me for being a little on edge."

"Touché, I'm sorry." Jake apologized realizing his joke wasn't funny. It pained Jake that Olivia was still traumatized, he hated seeing her so fragile. Jake had tried to always be there for Olivia and protect her, but ultimately, he had failed.

"So, what brings you here?" Olivia asked wanting to change the subject.

"Lunch. Where is everyone?" Jake asked, noting the quietness of the office.

Olivia explained what had happened to their client as she and Jake ate Chinese take-out.

"How are you feeling?" Jake asked as they wrapped up lunch.

"My feet are killing and growing a small human is exhausting." Olivia complained as she took off her heels to give her feet a break. Jake patted his thigh as an indication for Liv to give him her feet.

"Maybe if you didn't wear such uncomfortable shoes, your feet wouldn't hurt." Jake pointed out as he slowly began to rub her feet.

"Those hands are magical." Oliva breathed as Jake soothed her aching feet.

"You said it not me." Jake smirked. Olivia rolled her eyes playfully, knowing she had walked into that one. Jake and Olivia shared small talk before the sound of the elevator interrupted them. Oliva stood up and Jake quickly stood beside her, waiting to see who entered the office. Olivia was expecting Marcus, Huck, or Quinn.

When the office door opened and seven secret service agents entered to do a sweep of the office it was clear who was coming to visit, The President.

It wasn't long before Fitz strolled into the building wearing a black suit and blue tie, not a strand of hair out of place. Fitz was surprised to see Jake standing next to Olivia. Although Fitz had moved on after Olivia had left him, he despised that it was Jake by her side. Deep down Fitz knew that Jake loved Olivia and he would do everything he could to protect her however, he hated seeing Olivia with another man, especially Jake.

"Hi." Fitz said softly.

"Hi." Olivia said in an even tone.

"Mr. President." Jake said, addressing Fitz.

"I hate to drop by unannounced." Fitz said, focusing his attention on Liv.

"I doubt that." Jake muttered under his breath, causing Liv and Fitz to shoot a look his way.

"Anyway" Fitz continued, "I need your help."

"Politely sir, I don't work for you anymore." Olivia replied.

"Liv, I need your help." Fitz repeated.

"I'm sure Abby is more than capable of handling whatever problem you have." Olivia answered.

"I need help and I would like it done discretely. Please Liv." Fitz insisted.

"Fine, we can talk in my office." Olivia gave in. She shared a quick look with Jake before following Fitz into her office. Jake had intended to sit at the conference table and watch the exchange between his girlfriend and the President, but two secret service men stood in front of the door to Liv's office blocking his view.

"What do you need?" Olivia asked bluntly. She didn't want to spend any more time alone with Fitz then necessary.

"Alexandra Ruiz. I need her vetted." Fitz stated as her poured two class of Bourbon and handed one to Liv.

Olivia shook her head indicating she didn't want the glass. "You want her vetted for the supreme court, that's bold." Olivia replied. There was a vacancy in the Supreme Court and Fitz planned on filling before he left office in a few months however, both of his other candidates would not pass confirmation. Ruiz was a conservative, Latina, woman, who Fitz hoped would be a more favorable choice. Although she considered herself a conservative Ruiz had a history of ruling on the liberal side.

"She is a great pick, and she may be able to pass through confirmation." Olivia said as she thought it over. "But, you do know it will be hard to convince the Democrats to approve of this choice when Frankie Vargas could be the next president." Although Olivia had to admit that Fitz had made a brilliant move, picking a person who would please both sides of the aisle, but someone who was Republican at heart.

"So, you'll vet her?" Fitz asked optically.

"Consider it handled." Olivia said with a smile.

"How are you?" Fitz smiled with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Fine." Olivia replied flatly.

"And you and Jake?" Fitz pressed. "Together now that his wife is dead?"

"That's none of your business Mr. President." Olivia smiled, trying to keep her cool.

"Your right." Fitz apologized, realizing he crossed a line. "I should go. Please let me know about Ruiz as soon as you can."

"I will." Olivia responded as she opened the door, leading Fitz back into the conference room.

"Mr. President." Jake acknowledged.

"Captain Ballard. Ms. Pope." Fitz replied as he was escorted out of the office by his secret service detail.

"What did he want?" Jake asked as soon as he heard the office door close.

"A favor." Olivia replied vaguely.

"Liv." Jake said warily.

"He wants me to vet a potential Supreme Court pick, one that might be able to pass confirmation before he leaves office." Olivia sighed.

"Are you going to do it?' Jake questioned as he threw away the last of their lunch.

"Why wouldn't I?" Liv countered.

"He only has a few months left in office, don't you think he should let the next President chose who gets that seat on the bench." Jake argued.

"There is a vacancy in the Supreme Court, which the President has an obligation to fill. Fitz is still the President." Olivia shot back. Olivia didn't understand why Jake was picking a fight with her over this.

"If you were Mellie's campaign manager." Jake started. "But I'm not." Oliva interjected. "If you were, and you got wind that the President was trying to confirm a new justice before he leaves would you take issue with that?" Jake continued

"Probably." Olivia agreed.

"My point exactly." Jake replied.

"However, I am not running Mellie's campaign and the President asked me to do this." Olivia added. "I'm just vetting her, whether she is chosen and confirmed is beyond my control."

Jake was going to respond, but his phone rang.

"Duty calls." Jake smiled as he hung up. "I will see you at home?"

"Yes, around 6. I love you." Liv smiled as she stood on her tip toes to give Jake a kiss goodbye.

"I love you too. And you too little one." Jake whispered, as he broke the kiss and bent down to kiss Olivia's stomach.

Huck and Marcus were unable to find the person who had framed their client, however they had a few leads and would hopefully have something by the end of the week because Joseph's hearing was set for Monday morning. Unfortunately, in this case it was hard to argue against Justice's ruling of probable cause, so the team could only hope that they had an answer by Monday.

* _Later that Night*_

"You're not going to be able to hid that bump much longer." Jake commented as he watched Olivia climb into bed, noticing her tank top was a little tight around the stomach.

"I know. I will probably have to go maternity shopping this weekend. Maybe drive up to New York, take Quinn and Abby." Olivia replied as she rubbed a hand on her belly.

"Why not shop in D.C?" Jake asked, confused.

"Because the minute I go maternity shopping here the entire town will know I'm pregnant. Everyone from the politicians to the walkers in Lincoln Park. I'm not ready for that." Olivia replied.

"People are going to find out eventually." Jake said stating the obvious.

"I know, but I'm just not ready for people to know." Olivia sighed.

"You're not ready for people to find out your pregnant, or you're not ready for people to know we are together?" Jake asked defensively. Jake understood that announcing she was pregnant would be big news in D.C., but Jake also felt like Liv was insecure about their relationship.

"Both." Olivia said hesitantly. Jake was silent and Olivia was scared he was about to give her an angry lecture.

"I understand that your publicizing your pregnancy may cause a stir in this town, but I don't want to hide our relationship. I love you and I want to be able to show the world how much I love you and our child. I don't know what I have to do to ease your insecurities, but whatever it is I will do it. You have tossed me aside repeatedly, but I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me this time Liv, we are a family now, you, me, and our child. I'm not going to leave and I'm not going to hurt you. I love you and only you. Please talk to me, tell me your fears and let's work through them together." Jake replied calmly.

Olivia was surprised by Jake's soft tone and soothing words, the next thing she knew she was crying. Olivia blamed the hormones, but it was Jake. His words brought her to tears. She just wished she could love him the same way he loved her, but she was scared that she would never be good enough.

"Talk to me, Liv." Jake pleaded as he scooted closer to Liv and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to cry on his shoulder.

"I don't want you to leave me because I'm not good enough. You have become the love of my life and I'm scared to death that I'm going to lose you. I love you so much that it hurts." Olivia sobbed.

"Look at me liv." Jake whispered, as she slowly raised her head to meet Jake's gaze. Jake brushed the tear tracks away with his thumbs before speaking. "Olivia, you are the best thing in my life. I love you with every fiber of my being and I will never, ever leave you. Trust me to love you, protect you, and care for our family until I am unable too." Jake then leaned in and kissed her with all the passion of his words. Jake felt a fresh wave tears streaming down Olivia's face as their lips collided.

"I love you." Olivia whispered as she broke the kiss and crawled on top of Jake.

"I love you." Jake repeated as he tugged at her tank top assisting it up and over her head. Olivia leaned down and kissed Jake as his hands roamed her back. Olivia could feel Jake's growing member against her thigh. Olivia soon abandoned her position and slide down Jake's body to situate herself between his legs. Jake could feel himself hardening in anticipation. The next thing he knew Olivia had slipped a hand into his pants and was messaging is member. Jake's breathing intensified as Olivia stroked him harder. Once Olivia was satisfied with the hardness in her hand she removed her hand from Jake's boxers licking the precum from her fingers. As Jake watched Olivia clean her fingers he was about to lose it.

"I need you." Jake let out in a deep voice full of lust. Olivia stood up on the bed, over Jake and slowly removed her pajama shorts, reveling that she wasn't wearing any panties. Jake quickly kicked off his boxers as Olivia began dancing over him, teasing him even more. Jake wasn't going to hold on much longer so he took control. He sat up and wrapped his arms around his waist guiding her towards him. As soon as Olivia made it to Jake's lap she wrapped her legs around his waist and in one swift motion Jake flipped the over. Jake kissed his way down Olivia's body and when he reached her pelvis he slipped a finger inside instantly feeling her wetness coat his finger. Jake then inserted another finger as Olivia thrusted into his hand practically beginning for more. In order to ease the tension, she was feeling Olivia reach for Jake's balls and began to squeeze them.

"Please Jake." Olivia begged as Jake's fingers continued to glide in and out of her. As much as Olivia appreciated how much Jake tortured her she didn't know how much longer she would last. When Jake felt like Olivia was finally ready he removed his fingers and slowly guided himself inside her. Olivia's head felt back on the pillow as she gripped the bed sheets next to her for support. As Jake began to slowly move insider her Olivia could feel him filling every inch of her as he pounded into her G-spot. "Ahhh...ohhh…yesss." Olivia moaned as she reached her peak, clamping down around Jake causing him to release letting out a moan of pleasure. Jake slowed his rhythm as Olivia came down from her high.

"You satisfy me in a way no man ever will." Olivia breathed as she was trying to catch her breath.

"And no woman will ever satisfy me like you do. I love you." Jake replied as he kissed the top of Olivia's head.

"Good." Olivia said with a small laugh. "I love you too." And with that Olivia rested her head on Jake's bare chest, letting the steady rise and fall of his chest lull her to sleep.

 **P.S. if you are reading my other story I will update that soon.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I have been suffering from writer's block recently and watching the show isn't helping, but I will continue to hope because I love the connection that Liv and Jake have. Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I would love to hear your thoughts in a review! Thanks!**

On Saturday morning Jake headed off to work, leaving Olivia home alone. Olivia had made plans to go maturity shopping with Abby and Quinn in the afternoon, but she had the morning to herself. She decided to go on a short run before getting ready for her afternoon outing. Ever since Abby had begun working at the White House, the two of them often found themselves on opposite sides, but that didn't matter to Liv. Abby had been one of her best friends since college and she wasn't going to let their professional differences ruin their friendship. As for Quin, she had become Olivia's go to girl. Quinn knew what had to be done and did it, she also questioned Liv, which truly made her think about her decisions and the consequences of those decisions. As Olivia thought more, she realized that for her friends were hard to come by, and she had two amazing friends in Abby and Quinn.

"So Quinn, are you getting married?" Olivia asked, as the three friends began their drive to New York to go maturity clothes shopping.

"WHAT?!" Abby questioned in disbelief as she slammed on the breaks. "Charlie proposed? Why hasn't anyone told me?"

"He didn't propose. We were going to go on a vacation and he had the intention of proposing but work stuff came up and we weren't able to go." Quinn explained.

"Yeah, and Huck put the pieces together. I guess he saw the signs that Charlie was going to propose so he spelled it out for Quinn in the middle of the conference room." Olivia added.

"Huck, really?" Abby asked surprised. "Well, are you going to say yes?"

"I don't know. I mean its Charlie…and marriage." Quinn replied.

"Do you love him?" Abby asked.

"I do, but…" Quinn started.

"There is no but. If Charlie makes you happy then be happy Quinn. Its ok to be normal" Olivia interrupted.

"Charlie is not normal." Quinn added. All three of them laughed, knowing that both Quinn and Charlie were not "normal" but they had a relatively normal relationship and it seemed as if Charlie was ready to settle down.

"What about you Liv, wedding bells on the horizon?" Abby asked, taking the heat off of Quinn.

"I don't know. It's complicated." Liv said vaguely as she stared out the window.

"Is it?" Abby countered. "I don't think carrying the child of a man you love is all that complicated. Jake is good for you Liv, you are good for each other and now you are going to be the perfect family."

"But we have a history of doing some terrible things to one another and I'm just scared that we might end up back there." Olivia confessed quietly.

"You and Jake may have a rough history, but through it all you both have continued to forgive and love one another." Quinn chimed in.

"For the first time, Jake and I are building a real relationship and every day I feel myself falling for him a little harder. And now that I am carrying his child I have realized that Jake will always be in my life regardless of what happens." Olivia paused briefly as her hormones were acting up and she became a little teary eyed. "I don't want to lose him. So, to answer your question Abby I am hoping that marriage is in our future, but right now we are just taking it a day at a time." Abby and Quinn shared a brief look of pure delight as Olivia dabbed the corner of her eyes. Both Quinn and Abby were happy for Liv knowing that after all the heartbreak in her life she deserved feel loved.

"And what about you and Leo, are the two of you back to sleeping in the same bed?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, we are good." Abby replied, her attention on the road.

"Is he the one?" Quinn asked, knowing that Abby and Leo had been together for a while.

"I thought Charles was the one, he beat me." Abby said referring to her ex-husband. "Then I thought David was the one, but we had our philosophical differences. And now with Leo, I am scared to take the next step because I have failed at it so many times before. We haven't really talked about what's next and I plan to keep it that way."

"Oh Abby." Liv expressed, seeing that Abby was wiping tears from her eyes.

"Give Leo a chance, I didn't think me and Charlie would ever become something and now I am getting married." Quinn added.

"Don't let your past cloud your judgement. I made that mistake and I missed a lot. I always thought that one way or another I would be with Fitz. It clouded my judgment so that I neglected a man, a man that cared about me more than anything, a man who loved me and all my crazy. I hurt him, and I don't know if he will ever truly forgive me." Olivia commented sadly.

"But you have Jake now, and I am sure he will forgive you." Quinn responded.

"You're not referring to Jake are you?" Abby asked.

"I'm talking about Edison." Olivia confirmed. "I took him for granted because Fitz clouded my brain. I once told Edison that I wanted 'painful, difficult, devastating, life-changing, extraordinary love' and he told me 'love is not supposed to be painful or devastating. Love isn't supposed to hurt'. He's right, and if I had realized that sooner I probably would have married him."

"I never knew you too were that serious." Quinn whispered stunned into silence. She knew that Olivia and Edison had been together for a little while, but she never knew that whole story."

"All in a different life." Abby said.

"Yes, in a different life." Olivia agreed as they arrived at the mall.

***Later that Night***

"I'm home." Olivia called out as she walked in the front door and dropped her shopping bags on the couch.

"Hi beautiful, I missed you." Jake replied walking into the room. "How was it?" he asked at he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Shopping was a success and it was nice to spend some time with Quinn and Abby away from this town and all its craziness." Liv replied. "Let me go put these away and then I will be back." Liv said.

"Alright, I will put dinner on the table." Jake called after her as he we went to put the final preparations on dinner.

"You treat me so well." Olivia said as she walked into the dining room and saw Jake had dinner on the table.

Olivia was quiet for much of dinner as she thought about the conversation she had in the car about Edison. Olivia felt guilty when she realized that Jake didn't really know anything about Edison.

"You have been quiet tonight?" Jake noted as the two of them did the dishes.

"I know, just have a lot on my mind." Liv admitted.

"Wanna talk about it?" Jake asked.

"Yeah I do." Olivia answered.

"I am all ears." Jake said as he put done the plate he was drying and leaned up against the counter.

"How much do you know about Senator Davis?" Liv questioned cautiously.

"He is on the Senate intel committee and I am the head of the NSA I would say we are pretty well acquainted with one another." Jake replied, unsure where this conversation was going.

"How much do you know about his personal life?" Liv pressed.

"Umm… just the basics, married, no kids. He is a good guy." Jake added.

"I almost married him." Olivia confessed.

"What?" Jake asked in bewilderment.

Before Fitz and before you. I was with Edison we were together for 2 years, he proposed, but then I joined Fitz campaign and I broke it off after…you know. And then a couple of years ago we tried again and he proposed for the second time, but I couldn't do it. Eventually he found out about Fitz and it ruined anything we had, I don't think he will ever forgive me. I was talking with Quinn and Abby today and Edison came up, I wanted to tell you this, even if it happened before anything between us. We were in a serious relationship twice and I almost married him.

"You were the one who sat by his hospital bed." Jake said, lowering his head.

"What…how did you know that?" Olivia asked.

Jake was silent.

"Jake how did you that?" Liv repeated raising her voice slightly.

"Because I put him there." Jake admitted quietly.

"But he was…" Olivia started as she was trying to put the pieces together.

"in a car accident." Jake finished.

"What? How? Why? Jake" Olivia quivered as the picture became clear.

"Liv, let me explain." Jake said calmly, keeping his distance. "I was given an order by command and I followed it. I didn't ask questions, but I watched Edison while he was in the hospital and I saw that someone came and saw him every day. I hoped that he pulled through so that he wouldn't be taken away from that person. I didn't know that person was you. I am sorry."

"A couple days before the accident I took Edison to meet my dad and he didn't approve of Edison. And then Edison was in the car accident and I knew it was my dad, but I couldn't leave Edison as he hung on to life. I loved him and while he recovered I tried to decide how I was going to break up with him because being with me wasn't worth his life." Olivia explained.

"Liv I am sorry." Jake repeated.

"Jake please stop apologizing, it's in the past and what happened is on my dad not you." Olivia said.

"Come here liv." Jake whispered as he reached out towards Liv and gently pulled her close to him. Liv melted into Jake's chest and wrapped his arms around his waist as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry Liv." He whispered again.

"I know Jake, I'm sorry too. I am sorry all of this happens because of me." She whispered, matching Jake's tone.

"Hey." Jake replied as he pushed liv back so he could look at her.

"This is not your fault." Jake stated clearly. He hated it when Liv tried to shoulder all the blame; he saw how much of a toll it took on her not to mention that it just wasn't true, all of it was not her fault.

"The common denominator for all the terrible stuff that happens in my life is me." She pointed out.

"And the common denominator for the love and happiness that is in my life is you." Jake countered placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You are also the person that has given many a voice, a way out, or the answer to a difficult situation. There are many people out there who will forever be in your debt for saving them…including me. Don't focus on the bad, look at the big picture, you have done so much good in the world Liv."

"We saved each other." Liv corrected as she looked up into Jake's green eyes and smiled. He also put all of her insecurities at ease and he was the only man that didn't let her shut down and challenged her to be the best version of herself.

"I love you Jacob." Olivia said as she stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Jake's next and pulled him towards her until their lips met. The kiss was slow and passionate and Liv savored the taste of his lips.

"I love you too Olivia." Jake whispered as they broke apart from their kiss.


End file.
